The Niverville Heritage Dental Centre Gift Guide!

It’s the most magical time of year - the holiday season! This means the hot chocolate is being poured, your tree is up, Mariah Christmas tunes are blasting and if you’re like us, endless cheesy holiday movies on repeat.

However, this also means the craziness of holiday shopping has begun. As most of us our moms, we get how crazy this time of year can be, finding kids gifts that are exciting, budget friendly, and fun.

Enter the NHDC gals.  We decided to do our first ever holiday gift guide! What if you could get your kids things they could be excited about AND promoted good oral health?! Sounds like a dream, right? Here’s some of our favourite picks for both gifts and stocking stuffers.

Kids Gift Ideas:

1. Kids Dentist Role Play Wooden Set

Who doesn’t want to play dentist? Imaginary play is so important for kids, so what’s better than pretending to be a dentist with this wooden play set.  Exposure like this also helps them become better prepared for coming to see us.  Who know, maybe your little will work here one day! Click here to buy!

2. Play-Doh Drill n’ Fill Set

We love play-doh for sensory play and this set is so fun! Sip your coffee while your kids are entertained making teeth and pretending to do some fillings.  You get a break and they aren’t bugging you.  It’s a win, win.  Click here to purchase!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas:

1.Character Battery Powered Toothbrushes

We all know the struggle of getting your little ones to brush.  Enter these Colgate, battery powered toothbrushes.  With a spinning head to reach those harder places and available in your child’s favourite character, this is an easy one.  Peppa Pig, Batman, Minions, Barbie, you name it, they got it.  Click here to buy!

2. Brushing Sand Timer

Let’s face it, none of our kids brush for two minutes straight cause it’s nearly impossible. Enter these adorable tooth, multicoloured, sand timers.  It comes in a set of 7 which means EVERYONE is getting one in their stockings! Click here to purchase!

3. Froggie Toothbrush & Toothpaste Holder

This froggie toothbrush and toothpaste holder is both so cute and practical.  It is only 6x6 inches so it’s perfect for sitting on the side of the sink.  It comes in a variety of colours and makes a great stocking stuffer! Click here to buy!

4. Unicorn Sparkle & Watermelon Toothpaste

Have a picky child when it comes to toothpaste flavours? Look no further than Hello’s unicorn sparkle fluoride that is bubble gum flavoured. Looking for a non-fluoridated toothpaste for your really young one? Try their watermelon flavoured one! Click here for unicorn sparkle and here for watermelon.

Still looking for more ideas? Lucky for you we now have an entire page on our website dedicated to oral health products we love and recommend.  We have everything on there from denture care, orthodontic products, oral hygiene products and so much more.  Everything is linkable and takes you straight to where you can purchase it! Click here for the products page!

Happy shopping!

The NHDC Gals

How to Prepare Your Child for a Filling

Despite our best effort as parents, cavities happen in children that may require a filling.  Us gals here at Niverville Heritage Dental are mostly moms so we know how you feel – anxious for your child (and yourself) and feeling the need to ensure they are prepared.  We’ve gathered a few tips to help you and your child prepare for your appointment to ensure the most positive outcome!

 1.       Be calm.

We know, easier said than done, but as we all know children are extremely smart and pick up on feelings very easily.  If you are nervous, your child will be as well! Stay calm and be positive while speaking about coming to see us at home.

Miss Hadley after she rocked her filling appointment! We even gave her friend that she brought a bib too so they could do it together!

 2.       Words matter.

You know how we always tell our kids, “Words matter.” Same thing here! We want you to be honest with your kids, we are when we see them, but avoid using words such as “pain” and “needle.” Instead use words such as “uncomfortable” and “small pinch.” This goes without being said, but please don’t tell them, “It’s going to hurt A LOT!” Haha. No but seriously, don’t do that. 😊

 3.        Make them comfortable.

Let them know it’s 100% okay to feel nervous! Let them wear their favourite outfit, or bring along their cherished blankie or stuffy.  We love when kids come in with their favourite stuffed friend, we even put a bib around their stuffed animal/doll to include them!

 4.       Let us do the hard work.

Kids are so curious and inquisitive. We love questions! When at home ease their feelings by letting them know we will explain EVERYTHING to them before we do it. We prefer you let us do all the explaining!

 5.       Be patient.

Amanda with Maddex! Note: This picture was taken pre-Covid.

Oh my goodness as moms this is a hard one! Sometimes your child may not have their procedure completed at the first appointment. If we feel the child is very anxious, we may just take the time to explain everything to them and have them come back to try again and that’s okay!

 6.       Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

It’s our job to ensure your child has the most positive experience possible.  The last thing we want to do is create an experience that will cause the child to fear coming to the dentist that carries with them into adulthood.  Sometimes despite our (and your) best efforts a child may not be cooperative.  We will never force a child to have their procedure done.  The mental aspect of their experience is just as important to us and we may feel your child will be best taken care of at a pediatric dental specialist office.  If this is the case a referral will be made.

We absolutely adore seeing kids here at Niverville Heritage Dental Centre and pride ourselves on knowing the latest on Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and all that other stuff to win some brownie points! Haha! Know that when you bring your child(ren) here we feel honoured that you are choosing us to trust and we don’t take that lightly.  Plus, why is it so much easier to be way more patient when it’s not your own kids, right? 😊 See you soon!

 Dr. Sunayna

P.S. Don’t forget to have your kids enter our colouring contest of Dr. Sunayna! Just click here, print out the sheet and have your kids colour it and tag us on Instagram or Facebook! Your child(ren) will be entered to win a $100 gift card to Toys R Us! Yay! Contest closes Sunday, April 18th for ages 8 and under. Good luck!

Back to School – Snacks, Lunches & More Snacks!

Here we go, another school year.  Whether you are sending your kids to school or are homeschooling, we can all agree this year will look and feel very different .  Although the masks are new, guess what’s not? The dreaded making of lunches and snacks.

Snacks, snacks, and more snacks!

Don’t fret, as usual the Niverville Heritage Dental Gals have got your back.  We are all mostly moms so we get it – the frustration of finding healthy snacks that your kids will actually eat, finding time to pack them, and the worst one – loving something one day and then literally not eating it the next.  How is that even possible?!

Let’s start off by giving you some ideas for snacks and lunches that are good for both the teeth (obviously) AND for your kiddos overall health!

• Cheese – Not only is cheese delicious, but its calcium properties help make teeth strong and some studies have shown that it can neutralize the dental plaque in your mouth!

  Mom tip: Buy the portioned cheese from Costco so that you don’t have to spend time cutting it.  We all know every second counts!

• Fruit, Veggies & Dip – Did you know that antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C and other nutrients from fruits and vegetables help protect the gums? Plus items such as apples, carrots and celery can help clean plaque off of teeth. It’s a win, win.

  Mom tip: We like to add a different dip to make it more interesting for kids.  Our favorites are hummus (make ahead and freeze) and tzatziki.

• Nuts & Seeds – Keeping in mind your child’s age, nuts & seeds are full of benefits for your teeth since they are packed full of important elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and even fiber, potassium and zinc which can help stimulate saliva.

  Mom tip: Try adding nuts into a smoothie (sneaky, sneaky) or even nut butters are a great way get your picky eater to try some!

• Yogurt – This is usually a pretty easy one for kids to have which is great cause it’s full of calcium and probiotics that can protect teeth from cavities, gum disease, and even bad breath. Perfect!

  Mom tip: To up the ante a bit, try sprinkling some granola and a dash of cinnamon.

• Water – Yup, just plain and simple water.  Water helps wash away bacteria that may be sitting on your teeth, especially after you’ve eaten. Try to avoid juices, pops, and sports drinks as much as possible.

  Mom tip: Make them want to drink water by getting a fun water bottle! We find the flashier and uglier it is, the better, hahaha.  Just ask Dr. Sunayna who cringes every time at the sight of her daughter’s Paw Patrol glittery water bottle. 

Now that we’ve covered some snack ideas, here’s some expert tips to make your life a bit easier from our favourite dietician, momma of 2, Nita Sharda of Carrots & Cake, and teacher, momma of 4, and meal prep extraordinaire, Shawna Lapointe of Too Busy Livin’:

We love registered dietician Nita Sharda of Carrots & Cake’s recipe for Tropical Green Smoothie. Find it here.

1. As Nita says, “food fatigue” is a real thing when it comes to kids.  One day they’re into it, the next they’re acting like it’s the worst thing ever.  The key is to have variety.  How do we do this? Well, Dr. Sunayna found these snack containers on Amazon that she is using for her kids this year.  It’s great for offering a variety of things in a small amount.  She packs all of them for the week on Sunday and then you are good to go!

2. Shawna is a huge fan of, “make more once, save time later.” Take for instance her take on shredded chicken.  Make more of it once in the slow cooker, freeze, use for tortilla soup, quesadillas, taquitos, and also on pizzas, or in sandwiches. Bam. Click here to see her ways.

3. Nita is a huge fan of smoothies and always tells us how it’s a great way to keep your kiddos and yourself fueled.  We love her genius tip on making smoothie packs in advance and throwing them in the freezer.  This way when you are rushing in the morning no need to get a million ingredients! Just grab that smoothie pack from the freezer, dump contents into the blender, and add your milk of choice! Voila! Our fave is Nita’s tropical green smoothie which you can find here. Happy blending!

As mothers ourselves, we get it.  We know we are all feeling so many things. Just know we are all in this together, and we can and will get through it.  As always, we are here for all our oral care needs! Happy prepping and packing!

Love,

The Niverville Heritage Dental Gals