Our Blog

We here at Northwest Children's Dentistry always encourage our families to try to reduce sugar intake during the Halloween season. Although normally we would stress daily candy limits and other dental precautions, COVID-19 has interrupted many normal traditions. Some families are looking for a way to celebrate the season without normal trick-or-treating and other large gatherings.

If you fall into this category, here are some suggestions to keep your kids in the Halloween spirit while keeping your exposure risk to a minimum.

• Carve Jack-O'-Lanterns. Some traditions already lend themselves to doing alone at home. Go all out with your pumpkin carving this year.
• Dress up in Costume: Kids can still dress up this year. You can keep the costumes at home or you may be able to set up a small "Halloween" parade with your immediate neighbors where the kids show off their costumes without coming into contact with each other.
• Celebrate with your Pod. If your child has a learning pod or other childcare situation, you can have a small gathering with the same people they see everyday. Just make sure they wear face coverings with their costume mask if they normally do when around the group.
• Throw a Family Halloween Party. This can be an simple as having a movie night with special treats or recreating the trick-or-treat experience inside your home as a treasure hunt.
• Do a Halloween Decoration Drive. Halloween decorations have become almost as popular as Christmas ones. Find a neighborhood with a lot of spooky houses and do a drive-by at night to see them in all their creepy glory.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to keep your child's smile healthy.  If you have any questions for our office, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

If you're a new parent or just wanting to switch providers, you may be wondering what are the best criteria for choosing a pediatric dentist for your child.  Here are our top picks on what to look for.

• Experience: A good dental practice will have experienced dentists who have seen many issues and know how to solve them.
• Attentive Staff: Look for people in the office who listen when you talk with them, both the front and back staff. They should be eager to answer your questions and give you full explanations on why they are doing specific procedures.
• Location: You have a busy family, so finding local dentist will make life easier if you will need multiple appointments for an injury or illness.
• A Focus on Prevention: A good dentist will give you tons of tips on how to manage your child's dental health to reduce the risk of developing more severe conditions down the road.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to keep your child's smile healthy.  If you have any questions for our office, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

As parents of young children, you make a lot of decisions for kids, and for good reason. They're too young to always make healthy choices, and you're preparing them for a lifetime of smart decision making. As they get older, though, you'll want to encourage your kids to do the right thing even when you aren't around.

One way you can start that now is involving them in their dental health. Here are some easy ways to do that at almost any age:

• Give them options for toothbrushes. Instead of just buying them a toothbrush, get their input. Do they have specific color choices? Do they like small or large heads? Let them choose from a variety of options.
• Try a new toothpaste. As long as your kid is using fluoride toothpaste, the sky's the limit. Spice things up by having them pick a different toothpaste. Bubble gum flavor might sound gross to you, but fun for them.
• Involve them in determining their own dental routine. Rather than telling them when to brush their teeth, ask them when they'd like to. They may prefer to brush after putting pajamas rather than beforehand. Or maybe they'll do it more readily if you read to them while they brush. Sometimes small changes like this can result in huge buy-in with kids.
• Use a rewards chart. We often use rewards chart for kids when they're potty training, but they're great for dental habits too. Even with an older elementary school kid, you could make a rewards chart where they earn a sticker for each time they brush their teeth without asking. This reduces nagging and creates a happier kid working toward a new reward like a small book or toy.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to keep your child's smile healthy.  If you have any questions for our office, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

If you thought a tooth is just one solid structure like a rock, you might be surprised to learn how complex one really is. Like other bones in our body, teeth are made of variety of material which help us chew our food. This blog post discusses all the parts that make up your smile.

The crown is the part of the tooth you see above your gums. Like your skin, it's made of layers. The top white layer is made of enamel, which happens to be the hardest substance in your entire body. (You want your teeth hard since they grind up so much stuff in your mouth!) We brush and floss the enamel to keep it hard and working steady for us for years to come.

Underneath the enamel is a layer of dentin, which is a lot like other bones in our body. It's actually made of living calcified cells. The heart of the tooth is the pulp, which includes blood vessels and nerves. We never want cavities to reach the dentin, much less the pulp, because that really hurts.

The roots underneath connect the tooth to the jaw bone. Instead of enamel, the roots are made of a slightly softer substance called cementum. As long as the gums stay over the roots, they should remain strong enough to keep our teeth in place.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to keep your child's smile healthy.  If you have any questions for our office, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.