Our Blog

We get a lot of questions about dentistry, and one question that sometimes crops up is: What is the difference between an orthodontist and a dentist?

A dentist is licensed medical professional that focuses on oral health care.  In the case of Northwest Children's Dentistry, we are pediatric dentists, meaning that we studied extra years to focus specifically on health care issues of infants, toddlers, children, and adolescent teeth.

An orthodontist is a specialized type of dentist that took extra training to focus on the alignment of teeth.  They generally help with issues of misaligned teeth, crowded teeth, underbites, and overbites.

As your child's  pediatric dentist in Tucson, we can tell you if your child needs to see an orthodontist.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!

With the arrival of October, it's officially the time of year for autumn festivities, and there's few events that kids look forward to more than Halloween.  Halloween means candy, and we hope you indulge in a healthy amount, but in case you were looking for some non-candy treat ideas, we've assembled the following list just for you.  Many of these items can be found at dollar stores sold in packs of 6-12.

• Stickers
• Nickels, dimes or quarters
• Band-Aids with favorite characters
• Temporary tattoos
• Small Play-doh packs
• Chalk
• Coloring sheets
• Bouncy balls
• Hair bows/barrettes
• Plastic jewelry

We hope you have a safe and healthy Halloween!  As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we're happy to give you guidance on how to manage your child's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!

All parents want to be prepared in case of an emergency.  Whether it be flash floods, a car accident, or a broken bone, we want to make sure we do the right things to ensure our child's safety.

We've already written a guide to handling a dental emergency on our website, but we felt it would be good to review a few key measure you can take if your child has a problem with their teeth:

• Chipped or Fractured Tooth: If possible, locate and save any broken tooth fragments and bring them with you to the dentist. Some fractured teeth benefit from immediate treatment, so contact us.
• Knocked out Permanent Tooth: If possible, find the tooth. Handle it by the crown (top) of the tooth, not by the root. Very GENTLY rinse the tooth with water if you plan to re-implant the tooth. DO NOT clean with soap, scrub or handle the tooth unnecessarily. Inspect the tooth for fractures. If it is sound, try to reinsert it in the socket. If you cannot re-insert the tooth, transport the tooth in a cup containing the patient’s saliva or milk (or ice water if milk is not available). Time is a critical in saving the tooth, so please call us immediately.
• Severe Blow to the Head:  Severe head injuries should always be taken very seriously.  Take the child to your nearest hospital emergency room immediately.

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we're happy to give you guidance on how to manage your child's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!

This week's blog focuses on a questions one of our Facebook fans wrote us.  That person wrote: "Kids start losing teeth around age 5-6. When do the last baby ones usually fall out?"

All children are different, but the last baby tooth usually falls out around age 12.

It's important to maintain the health of your child's baby teeth.  Not only do those teeth help a child learn to chew and speak, but they also "save" the space for permanent teeth coming in.  Without those baby teeth holding position, a child's permanent teeth may come in crooked and need orthodontic work.

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we're happy to give you guidance on how to manage your child's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!