Maribel Santos-Cordero

By Maribel Santos-Cordero, DMD, Dentistry for Children & Adolescents

Taking care of yourself takes care of your baby. Pregnancy is the most wonderful gift and a life-changing adventure! It comes with a mix of joy, new challenges, plenty of changes, a few sacrifices and a whole world of possibilities. The choices that you make while you are pregnant will have an impact on the development of your baby. This is particularly true when it comes to oral health. If you want to set your baby off to a healthy start, you will need to be mindful of how your nutrition and oral health can affect your baby even before birth.
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words by Dr. Maribel Santos-Cordero, Dentistry for Children & Adolescents

My grandmother used to say: “The tongue has the power of life”. Did you know that the tongue is not only vital for speech but also essential to keep us healthy? This unique muscle carries a lot of responsibilities. It is needed for speaking, sucking, tasting, chewing, swallowing, drinking, kissing, shaping our jaws as we grow, maintaining good oral health and even breathing properly. So much work for such a tiny muscle! It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that, when the tongue can’t move properly, many basic functions in your body get altered.
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words by Dr. Maribel Santos-Cordero, Dentistry for Children & Adolescents

It’s back to school! Many things need to be accomplished to plan your child’s success for the next school year. What if something as simple as breathing could be interfering with your child’s success in life?

Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) is the interruption of breathing impacting a child’s ability to receive the appropriate amount of oxygen and preventing a child from obtaining REM sleep, which is essential for proper growth and development.
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by Dr. Maribel Santos-Cordero, Dentistry for Children & Adolescents

Sucking is a natural and necessary reflex for a baby. Some infants start sucking their thumbs in the womb. Babies need to be able to suck properly in order to be fed. They may also suck on their fingers or a pacifier to find comfort when hungry, tired, bored, scared or wanting to fall asleep. We call this a non-nutritive sucking habit as it is independent of the feeding needs. This urge decreases after 6 months of age but many babies keep the habit until around one year of age.
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By Maribel Santos-Cordero, DMD, Dentistry for Children & Adolescents

Oral injuries are ranked as the second most common injuries in toddler age children …

Nearly 50% of all school age children experience some form of dental fracture between the ages of 6-18. About 30% of children suffer from trauma to their primary dentition and 22% suffer from trauma to their permanent dentition. Sports accidents account for 10-39% of all dental injuries in children. A properly fitted sports mouthguard can prevent serious damage to teeth and oral tissues.
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By Maribel Santos-Cordero, DMD, Dentistry for Children & Adolescents

Getting your children excited about brushing their teeth can sometimes take a bit of creativity.
Even if they enjoy tooth-brushing, there are some days when it may be a struggle to keep up with the routine. Did you know that your smartphone can help? Whether as a reward or a “bribery” tool, there are some apps that may help you make your daily hygiene routine fun.
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