Dentist Iowa City - An interview with Dr. Kaaren G. Vargas
Q. Tell us about yourself and your practice.
A. I am a Board Certified pediatric dentist. I graduated from Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, NY in 1992; moved to Iowa that same year. I obtained my PhD from The University of Iowa in 1998 and taught as a full time faculty member in the department of Pediatric Dentistry at The University of Iowa College of Dentistry until 2007. I left the school that year and opened a solo practice in North Liberty, IA in 2008. My practice sees children of all ages as well as children with special needs. I am also fluent in Spanish which has been very helpful for the hispanic population in the Corridor.
Q. Please explain the basic services you offer.
A. We offer a wide range of services in a state of the art facility that has an outstanding staff! Particularly; education for pregnant mothers, young parents as to the oral health care needs of their infants, cosmetic dentistry in children, early intervention orthodontics that includes elimination of thumb habits; minor oral surgery procedures, white and silver fillings. In the practice, we strive to establish a "Dental Home" for our patients rooted in prevention and understanding of what causes cavities.
Q. What types of Insurance do you accept?
A. We accept all insurances but we are providers of Delta Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicaid.
Q. When should parents take their children to have their first checkup?
A. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children receive their first checkup by age 1. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also adopted this guideline.
Q. What should be used to clean a baby's teeth?
A. If the baby does not have teeth yet, then a soft gauze can be used to clean the gum pads after feeding. Once the first tooth comes in, we recommend a very soft bristle tooth brush with a smear of fluoride toothpaste on it.
Q. What is the difference between a pediatric dentist and a family dentist?
A. A pediatric dentist is a dentist who has completed anywhere from 2 to 3 years of training beyond dental school in pediatric dentistry. A family dentist is a dentist who has completed dental school with usually no training beyond that. A pediatric dentist limits his/her practice to those children under the age of 18, as well as special needs children.
Q. Are thumb sucking and pacifier habits harmful for a child's teeth?
A. Both habits are harmful to the developing teeth and jaws of children. We recommend that either habit is stopped before the age of 3. Studies have shown that harmful effects can happen as early as 18 months of age if the child has a severe sucking habit.
Q. How often does a child need to see the pediatric dentist?
A. If the child is low risk for cavities, we recommend that he/she be seen every 6 months. If the child is high risk for cavities, then we may recommend he/she be seen every 3 months.
Q. How can a mom prevent decay caused by nursing?
A. It is important for a nursing mother to not refrain from "at will" breastfeeding; particularly at night. If this is happening, it is very important for the mother to wipe the baby's gum tissue or brush the baby's after feeding. A baby is much more susceptible to cavities from breast feeding when he/she is also eating table food. At that time, it is even more important for rigorous oral hygiene.
Q. How can parents help prevent tooth decay?
A. Parents can help prevent tooth decay by brushing his/her child's teeth for him/her until the age of 9. Manual dexterity is poor until then and children are very prone to cavities during this time. Refrain from giving juice in sippy cups and limiting sugary snacks to only 1 time per day. We recommend a fluoride toothpaste as soon as teeth come into the mouth, but only a smear until the child can spit. Once the child can spit, then we recommend a pea size. Flossing is also very important and we recommend that this happen early as well. For sure as soon as all 20 baby teeth are in, which is usually by age 3.
