Friday, October 30, 2015

What Is The Teal Pumpkin Project?

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Have you seen teal pumpkins around the neighborhood?  The Teal Pumpkin Project is a safe way for children with food allergies to enjoy trick-or-treating.  By painting a pumpkin teal and placing it outside of your home, you indicate to trick-or-treaters that you have non-food treats available for kids with food allergies!

Not sure what kind of non-food items you can give to trick-or-treaters? Here are a few ideas:

Non-Food Treats:

  • Glow Sticks
  • Pencils
  • Bubbles
  • Halloween Erasers
  • Halloween Pencil Toppers
  • Mini Slinkies
  • Whistles
  • Kazoos
  • Bouncy Balls
  • Finger Puppets
  • Coins
  • Spider Rings
  • Vampire Fans
  • Mini Notepads
  • Bookmarks
  • Stickers
  • Stencils

For more ideas and to learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project, check out this website.

Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Tips and Tricks for Your Halloween Party

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Throwing a Halloween party for the kids this weekend?  There are plenty of ways to celebrate the holiday, while still keeping kids' teeth healthy!

Halloween Tips and Tricks:

  • Be Conscious of Braces - If your kids or their friends have braces, be sure to avoid treats that are too sticky or hard.  Even apples can cause brackets to become loose.  Chew lightly and stick to "safe" treats like melt-in-you-mouth chocolates, peanut butter cups, milk shakes, and sliced apples.  Get a few other ideas and tips here.
  • Avoid Sour Candies -Sour candies are very acidic.  This can cause your tooth enamel to break down quickly.  Check out this list of the best and worst candies to have for Halloween.
  • Offer Healthy Snacks - There are plenty of snacks that are both festive and healthy.  Get a few ideas for your party here.
  • Limit the Amount of Candy Kids Eat - While we know it's tough to avoid eating candy completely, try to limit the amount of candy kids consume.  Keep kids from overindulging after trick-or-treating.  If you have a lot of leftovers this year, we are offers a candy buyback for unopened candy!
  • Drink Plenty of Water - Have kids drink water while eating Halloween candy.  This will help flush away debris from the candy and reduce the acidity of the treats.

Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

Friday, October 23, 2015

How to Get Into the Halloween Spirit This Weekend

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Halloween is just one week away!  There are plenty of fun things to do with the kids this weekend while getting into the Halloween spirit.  Here are a few you might want to check out with the family.

Halloween Weekend Fun:

Nassau Barkfest
Where: Eisenhower Park, East Meadow
When: Saturday, October 24th
Cost: FREE
Nassau Barkfest is an event sponsored by the Nassau County SPCA and Long Island's K98.3.  There will be a costume contest and parade for all of the pets who attend.  Just remember, all pets need to be leashed.

Whaling Boo-Seum
Where: Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor
When: Sunday, October 25th
Cost: $10/Kids, $5/Adults
This annual event at the Whaling Museum offers face painting, potato sack races, games, prizes and more!  Visit the museum and watch the historic exhibits come to life with costumed characters.

Ghostly Gala
Where: Long Island Children's Museum, Garden City
When: Saturday, October 24th
Cost: $10/Person, $8/Museum Members
Visit the Long Island Children's Museum for a costume party with face painting, crafts and a fun puppet show for kids.

Check out this article from Mommy Poppins for more fun weekend events on Long Island.

Have extra Halloween candy?  Don't forget to participate in our candy buyback program!  Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  

Visit our website to learn more about our practices and don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Tooth-Friendly Halloween Snacks

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Throwing a Halloween party this year?  While candy is on the mind of every trick-or-treater, sugary sweets are bad for your health and your teeth.  Fortunately, there are ways to celebrate Halloween and keep your teeth healthy.

These fun Halloween snacks will help kids forget about candy and enjoy a healthy Halloween celebration.

Healthy Halloween Snacks:

Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns
Peppers can be a healthy snack that is fun for dipping, too.  These fun peppers are festive and can be cut up later on as a cute snack.


Mike Wazowski Apple
We can't get enough apples!  Try making this cute Mike Wazowski apple featured on the Disney website.

Ghost Bananas
Add a fun face to bananas for a spooky treat that resembles a ghost.


Scary Apple Teeth
Whether you're bobbing for apples or simply offering them as a snack, apples are good for your teeth and your health.  This recipe for teeth made out of apples is spooky enough for your Halloween party and fun enough for kids.  Check it out here.

Fun with Carrots
This cute carrot design in the shape of a pumpkin is the perfect way to decorate a tray or table for a healthy Halloween snack.  The extra crunch from the carrots is good for tiny teeth, too!


Have extra Halloween candy?  Don't forget to participate in our candy buyback program!  Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  

Visit our website to learn more about our practices and don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Best (and Worst) Halloween Candies for Tiny Teeth

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Excited for Halloween?  It's quickly approaching!  It's time to start getting your kid's costumes ready and preparing for Halloween parties and trick-or-treating.  While we know it's tough to avoid sweets this time of year, you can help keep tiny teeth healthy by opting for "healthier" candies.

Best Halloween Candies:
  • Sugar-free Gum
  • Chocolate (with no sticky fillings)
  • Sugar-free Lollipops
Candies to Avoid:
  • Taffy
  • Caramel Filled Treats
  • Hard Candies
  • Jawbreakers
  • Pixie Stix
Looking to get rid of your Halloween candy?  We're hosting candy buyback at our offices!  We will pay $1.00 per pound (up to 5 pounds) for your unopened Halloween candy.  We are collecting candy through the week following Halloween.  

Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  

Visit our website to learn more about our practices and don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

Making Strides of Long Island This Sunday, October 18th

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  The American Cancer Society is hosting events across the country to help celebrate survivorship and express hope and determination to those that are currently fighting.

Making Strides events are a great way to raise awareness of the disease and raise money for the American Cancer Society. 

Interested in participating?

Join the Making Strides of Long Island Walk this Sunday!

Where: Jones Beach State Park - Field 5
When: Sunday, October 18th from 8am- 11am


Sign up for the walk here or donate to the cause.

Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  

Visit our website to learn more about our practices and don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

How to Celebrate Columbus Day Weekend on Long Island

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Are you excited for the three-day weekend?  We know that your kids probably are!  Here are a few fun ways to enjoy the fall weather this Columbus Day weekend.

Weekend Events:

Kaufolds Fall Festival  & Pumpkin Picking
Looking to get in the spirit of the season?  Visit this Fall Festival on Saturday or Sunday for pumpkin picking, a corn maze, pony rides, and more.  Best of all - admission is free!

Where: Kaufolds Floris & Farm, Ridge, NY 
When:  Saturday & Sunday from 10AM - 5 PM

RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns
This Halloween event hosts more than 5,000 hand-carved jack o'lanterns created by professionals artists and sculptors.

Where:  Old Westbury Gardens
When: Friday & Saturday, 6:30-10:30 pm

Columbus Day Fair
There will be a street fair on Main Street in Farmingdale this weekend.  Enjoy a parade on Sunday at 6pm, followed by fireworks at 8:30.

Where: Farmingdale, Village Main Street
When: Friday-Monday

Check out this article for more information on events happening this weekend on Long Island.

You can also contact our office with any questions you have about your child's teeth this Columbus Day weekend!  Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  

Visit our website to learn more about our practices and don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!

How Do Sports Drinks Affect Teeth?

Pediatric Dentistry of Garden City & Glen Cove
Garden City:516-222-5100
Glen Cove: 516-759-7000

Crisp cool weather is perfect for sports.  Whether your kids play on a school team or just for fun, sports outside can be a great way for kids to get out and enjoy the fall weather with friends.  But think twice before grabbing a sports drink after a long game!  While they may taste good - sports drinks can be bad for your teeth.

How to sports drinks affect teeth?
Sports drinks contain acids that can eat away at the tooth enamel and cause the teeth to soften and weaken.  Many sports drinks also are high in sugars that are bad for teeth.  They can cause staining and hypersensitivity.

What should kids drinks instead?
Drink water!  Water will help kids stay hydrated through the game.  If they love sports drinks, just limit the consumption.  Drink sports drinks in moderation and brush your teeth about 30 minutes after consuming them to keep teeth clean.

Have any questions about what kind of drinks are best for kids?  Call 516-222-5100 to schedule your appointment at our Garden City office or 516-759-7000 to schedule your appointment at our Glen Cove office.  

You can also visit our website to learn more about our practices.  Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out our YouTube channel!