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This month we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with family while indulging in delicious food. It's a special time when we gather to express gratitude and share cherished moments. At our practice, we believe giving thanks is vital because it promotes positivity, strengthens relationships, encourages generosity, and impacts our overall outlook on life. This year, we are especially thankful for our family, our patients, and our community.

For many of us, a family Thanksgiving dinner is an annual tradition we eagerly anticipate. Of course, no Thanksgiving is complete without a little magic in the stuffing! It's a favorite dish that never fails to delight.

While enjoying the holiday festivities and abundant food, it's easy to overlook our oral health routines. Maintaining consistent oral care, including brushing, flossing, and dental check-ups, plays a crucial role in preventing cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues. Staying on your routine during busy and stressful times like the holiday season can help safeguard your oral health in the long run.

For this holiday, our office will be closing early on Wednesday, November 27th, at 1:00 pm and will reopen on Monday, December 2nd, at 8:30 am, allowing our team to enjoy the holidays with their loved ones. If you need to reach us please feel free to call as the doctors are always on call in case of an emergency.

And to further celebrate the season of giving, we're excited to announce a special offer: enjoy 10% off all services from November 4th through November 22nd. It's a great opportunity for patients to take advantage of our services during the holiday season.

We wish everyone a joyful Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, family, and good health!

Our pets are a valued part of the family, but dogs and cats are not regularly known for their minty-fresh breath. Did you know that bad breath can be a sign of a more serious dental problem for your furry companion?

If you live with a pet or two, you’ll want to brush up on your animal dental knowledge and make sure everyone’s teeth stay healthy.

Proper dental care is essential to a pet’s overall well-being. About 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats suffer from periodontal disease after the age of three.

Not only is this unhealthy for their mouth, it can lead to more serious health problems, including organ damage and heart failure. Toxins from periodontal disease seep into your pet’s bloodstream and have the potential to cause fatal organ damage.

Your veterinarian will check your pet’s teeth at an annual or six-month examination, but here are a few signs of periodontal disease you should watch for at home:

• Yellow/brown tartar
• Foul breath
• Red, inflamed, or bleeding gums
• Excessive drooling
• Pawing at the mouth or rubbing one’s jaw against objects
• Difficulty chewing

Aside from regular checkups at the vet, the best thing you can do for your pet is brush its teeth daily. Bacteria can recolonize onto the surface of teeth within 24 to 36 hours, so it’s essential to remove plaque before it turns into tartar. Ask your vet for a recommended toothbrush and pet toothpaste.

Dental hygiene chews can also help to reduce the effects of gingivitis, but some chews can actually make your pet’s oral health worse. Treats such as cow hooves, pig’s ears, and animal bones can damage teeth and cause other problems if ingested. Your vet can help you choose items that are healthiest for your pet.

Your dog’s favorite toys may also pose a threat to their oral health. Abrasive toys such as the popular green tennis balls can create wear and tear on the surface of pets’ teeth.

As with your own teeth, your dog or cat’s oral health plays a large role in its overall health. Remember to schedule regular checkups and ask your veterinarian for more tips on how to care for your pet’s teeth most effectively.

While the last baby teeth generally aren’t lost until age ten or 11, most children stop believing in the tooth fairy by the time they're seven or eight. Of course, children are more than happy to play along with the game when there’s money at stake! While it is impossible to know what the tooth fairy does with all those teeth (are they labeled and stored like museum pieces in a giant fairytale castle?), it is possible to trace the history and myth of the tooth fairy to several cultures and traditions. Dr. Pamela Clark and our team learned about some interesting myths about the tooth fairy!

The Middle Ages

Legend has it that Europeans in the Middle Ages believed a witch could curse someone by using their teeth, so it was important to dispose of baby teeth correctly. Teeth were swallowed, buried, or burned. Sometimes baby teeth were even left for rodents to eat. Despite being pests, rodents were valued for their strong teeth; it was generally believed a tooth fed to a rodent would lead to the development of a healthy and strong adult tooth.

Eighteenth Century France

The tooth fairy myth began to show more characteristics of a conventional fairytale in 18^th century France. La Bonne Petite Souris, a bedtime story, tells the strange tale of a fairy that changes into a mouse to help a good queen defeat an evil king. The mouse secretly hides under the evil king’s pillow and defeats him by knocking out his teeth.

Scandinavian Lore

So, why does the tooth fairy leave money under the pillow? The idea of exchanging a tooth for coins originated in Scandinavia. Vikings paid children for a lost tooth. Teeth were worn on necklaces as good luck charms in battle. While the idea of exchanging a tooth for coins quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe, a fierce, horn-helmeted Viking is far cry from the image of a fairy collecting teeth.

While the tooth fairy as children know her today didn’t make an appearance until the 1900s, tooth myths and rites of passage have existed in numerous cultures since the dawn of time.

Your feedback is very important to us at Pearland Pediatric Dentistry. We always want to make sure that our practice is meeting its full potential, so whether you’ve visited Dr. Pamela Clark once or been a loyal patient throughout the years, we encourage you to share your thoughts about your experience with us!

You can do this easily by giving us a review on our Facebook page or writing down your comments below. If you feel more comfortable, you’re always welcome to give our Pearland, TX office a call, too! We feel fortunate to have you all as patients and look forward to reading all your feedback!