Dr. Julie Davis

Dr. Julie Davis Dr. Julie Davis is a family and cosmetic dentist in Park Ridge, IL at Davis & Engert Dentistry.

01/23/2023

Have you been wondering if this viral U-shaped toothbrush works?

Simple answer: No. It does not.

I wish I could recommend it because it looks so convenient, but it didn’t remove plaque at all.

That being said… if this is the only thing you can get in your child’s mouth at the moment, it is better than not brushing! Especially if you can get some toothpaste on there with anti-cavity ingredients like fluoride or nano-hydroxyapatite. I also recommend trying to move it back and forth once in your child’s mouth, you might mechanically get a bit of plaque off compared to if they just bite down.

And, don’t get discouraged with your regular or electric toothbrush, keep trying! Everything is a phase, hopefully your child will go for the regular brush soon!

08/23/2022

One product I will never use as a dentist is WHITENING TOOTHPASTE.

Whitening Toothpaste does not actually whiten your teeth, but rather just removes outside stains with abrasiveness. If used for long periods of time, it can actually scratch or thin your enamel leading to sensitivity!

Once enamel is gone, you can’t get it back. Enamel is what gives a tooth its white color. Underneath enamel is the inner part of the tooth called dentin and it is more yellow. If your enamel is thin, your teeth will start to look more yellow.

The best way to remove exterior stains from your teeth is a professional cleaning. Hygienists can safely polish the outer surface of your teeth to remove stains without harming your teeth!

True teething whitening (whitening that changes the actual color of your teeth, not just stain removal) requires hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as the active ingredient. The best options for teeth whitening are over-the-counter teeth whitening strips or professional whitening by your dentist.

03/12/2022

SIGNS OF TEETHING:
Drooling
Irritability
Coughing
Red/Swollen Gums
Ear Pulling
Cheek Rubbing
Low Grade Fever

Symptoms a pediatrician should check:
Runny nose
Diarrhea
Fever of 101F or higher

Mac is 4 months old and she has been teething for about a month already! Bring on all the drool bibs.

FOLLOW ME so you don't miss an upcoming post on the best teethers for oral development and other teething hacks!

03/03/2022

Do you need to stop breastfeeding at night because of cavities?

There is no link between breastfeeding and cavities. However, breastfed babies can still get cavities from other things so dental hygiene is important!

Nighttime bottles with breastmilk, cows milk or formula do cause cavities because they allow liquid to pool in a baby's mouth around the teeth. In order to avoid cavities, it's important not to put your baby into his or her crib with a bottle unless it contains only water.

Breastfeeding is different because milk only flows when the baby sucks, so there is no pooling around the teeth.

Let me know if you have any questions about this in the comments!
FOLLOW ME for more tips!
SHARE THIS because I find it’s a really misunderstood topic!

02/25/2022

Did you know that redheads often need more anesthesia at the dentist?

It’s true! This is most likely because the gene that influences red hair is also associated with pain receptors.

Have you had this experience? Let me know in the comments!

Maternity leave complete, first week back at work in the books, and heading into week 2 at the office! ☑️☑️☑️The first w...
01/10/2022

Maternity leave complete, first week back at work in the books, and heading into week 2 at the office! ☑️☑️☑️

The first week was challenging… being a working mom is no joke! It did feel good to be back. I definitely thrive with a set schedule, but I miss the girls like crazy!

It’s exhausting trying to coordinate my pumping schedule, my patient schedule, fitting in nursing on my work days and quality time with my girls! I want to make sure I pump enough so my supply doesn’t go down, but my goal is to continue breast feeding… can I find the balance?

Plus, my oldest is needing me more than ever so I am trying to give her ten minutes of my undivided attention when I get home from work (which is right when I need to breast feed).

Any tips from experienced moms out there??

Shout out to my hubby! He’s holding down the fort for the next 5 weeks on paternity leave! His support has been incredible… he even brought the baby to the office for nursing on my lunch break!

TODDLER TOOTHBRUSHING TIP!Do you ever have a hard time getting your toddler to brush his or her teeth?Recently, I have b...
12/31/2021

TODDLER TOOTHBRUSHING TIP!

Do you ever have a hard time getting your toddler to brush his or her teeth?

Recently, I have been running into major tantrums when trying to get my 2 year old to brush her teeth. This is super common for her age group, so if this is happening at your house… you are not alone!

My tip… Keep it exciting!

Here are some ways to have fun with brushing:
➡️ new toothbrush or toothpaste
➡️ let your toddler brush your teeth
➡️ listen to a song while brushing
➡️ give them a choice. Maybe have 2 toothpaste flavors and let them choose.

At our house, we got a new and it did the trick! Kate is back to being excited to brush… for now. And, I will take it as a parenting win!

Brushing your toddlers teeth is not always easy… some days will be better than others, but keep trying! It’s important to help them brush twice a day. Sometimes you will feel you did a better job cleaning their teeth than others depending on your little one and that’s okay!

Happy Holidays! (Belated) I’m Dr. Julie Davis - general dentist in Park Ridge, IL (Chicagoish), mom to 2 little ladies a...
12/29/2021

Happy Holidays! (Belated) I’m Dr. Julie Davis - general dentist in Park Ridge, IL (Chicagoish), mom to 2 little ladies and wife to my handsome husband! I took a few days off social media, but with so many new faces following along the past few months I want to re-introduce myself. Here are some things to know about me:

🦷 I see patients of all ages and have done a lot of cosmetics over the last few years! There was a day that I saw both a 2 year old and a 95 year old… how cool is that!?

🦷 I share dental tips and tricks that come up in my everyday life with my family and patients… many of my posts are kid related because my life outside the dental office is filled with my girls!

🦷 Over the last 2 years, I have developed a passion for children’s airway and how it relates to dental crowding, tongue tie and growth. This love began when I had nursing trouble due to a posterior tongue tie with my first daughter. I have learned how to diagnose and treat tongue tie. I have learned to measure dental images of children to evaluate how the jaws relate, which can impact breathing, sleep and behavior. It’s amazing how our kids inspire us and they don’t even know it!

🦷 My husband is an amazing support for me through the challenges of being a working mom with a passion to keep learning and growing. It’s hard to do it all. He also wants nothing to do with teeth. 😂 He manages education reform research for The Crime and Ed Lab at University of Chicago.

Comment below on what I should be posting about next! I love developing content through my followers questions. FOLLOW ME so you don’t miss the info!

5 tongue and lip tie releases at 6 days old! Tongue Tie Journey [Part 3]👅 Upper Lip👅 Upper Right Cheek👅 Upper Left Cheek...
12/06/2021

5 tongue and lip tie releases at 6 days old!
Tongue Tie Journey [Part 3]

👅 Upper Lip
👅 Upper Right Cheek
👅 Upper Left Cheek
👅 Lower Lop
👅 Tongue

As my husband drove us to Mac’s tongue and lip evaluation + release appointment, I was nervous. I knew I was making the right decision and working with the best surgeon, but that didn’t seem to be making it easier to be the patient.

Dr. Geivelis’s thorough evaluation put me at ease. He takes his time to evaluate and then made me feel comfortable with the decision to have the procedure done.

5 ties were identified and recommended for release.
➡️Dr. G showed me the notch in her upper gums… “muscle always win over bone,” he said. The muscle was so tight, even in utero, that the bone couldn’t grow there and the notch was formed.
➡️Although she could stick her tongue past her lower gums, she could not raise that back of her tongue, which is essential for breastfeeding. This is called posterior tongue tie.
➡️He said she has been chomping down causing the pain and wounds because her ties are so tight. She cannot pull the ni**le in. She can only chomp chomp chomp to squeeze milk out.

Dr. G and his chief surgical assistant took Mac for the procedure. Parents are not allowed to watch. Jill, my IBCLC, was at the appointment to help with the first latch post release.

Mac was gone for 20 minutes.
All 5 ties were released.
She came back to the room happily sucking on Dr. G’s finger! No tears!

First latch…. Immediately reduced pain! Yay!! My lacerations healed within about 5 days of the appointment!

FOLLOW ME to learn about the daily stretches needed 6 times a day after release!

Special note: Although I chose to breastfeed and this is my journey, please do not feel you have to! A fed baby with formula or breast milk and a happy mom are the most essential things the first few months!

Tongue Tie Journey [Part 2]Ok here was the progression of breastfeeding events after Mac was born…First hour… yay! She i...
12/02/2021

Tongue Tie Journey [Part 2]

Ok here was the progression of breastfeeding events after Mac was born…

First hour… yay! She is latching, this time nursing will be easy.
24 hours…pain from her latch no matter how much ni**le balm, I was starting to suspect tongue tie.
36 hours…pain so severe I had tears from her latch and I started texting my IBCLC from my hospital bed. She also suspected ties based on my symptoms.
48 hours…tongue and lip tie appointment scheduled for soonest available. 5 days away.

How could I keep nursing for 5 days with this pain?? I was scared.

I had other worries too. My milk wasn’t in and because I suspected tongue tie and had such pain, I wasn’t sure if her suck was strong enough to encourage it to come in. She seemed hungry because her nursing sessions started to get long, so I was also worried she wasn’t getting enough colostrum.

This is when I needed to lean on my resources. Jill, my lactation consultant, was an amazing support! She came to my house to do an evaluation on our first day home.

A weighted feed confirmed Mac was getting enough colostrum and/or early milk! Hallelujah!! She noted ni**le damage and suggested Medihoney to help heal until my release appointment! These 2 tips alone helped to ease my worries and get me through until Monday. I was crossing my fingers a release would be the solution to my struggles.🤞🏼

FOLLOW ME! My next tongue tie post will be about the release appointment. I’ll give info on Medihoney in a later post too!

Address

20 Main Street
Park Ridge, IL
60068

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 7am - 7:30pm
Thursday 7am - 7:30pm
Friday 8am - 4pm
Saturday 8am - 1pm

Telephone

8476982161

Website

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