“Am I going to get a shot?”

“Are you going to pull my tooth?”

As a pediatric dentist for more than 30 years, Dr. Stephen Branam has been asked these questions more times than he can count by young patients who have come to his Oregon practice.

Unfortunately, sometimes the answer has to be yes.

Though he recommends parents bring their children for their first dental visit at age 1, many kids don’t have their teeth cleaned and checked until they’re much older, Dr. Branam said. Often it’s a cavity or other problem that prompts the appointment.

“The goal is to make going to the dentist a positive experience for kids,” Dr. Branam said. “If the first visit involves treatment for cavities or an abscessed tooth, that can create fear and anxiety that can last for a lifetime.

Dr. Stephen Branam

“It’s much, much better to prevent problems before they happen,” he said.

It this “ounce-of-prevention” theory that has led Dr. Branam to develop a line of oral care products and dietary supplements designed to promote dental health and take a bite out of the growing epidemic of dental decay in kids. The line started with the Ortho-Gibby pacifier, an orthodontic teething pacifier that promotes proper oral alignment and tongue positioning, while soothing and providing teething relief for babies.

He developed and patented the design in 1997 after he noticed an increasing number of bite problems, tongue twist habits and ear infections in his young patients – problems that are associated with pacifier use.

“Ear infections have increased 250 percent in the U.S. in the last 25, years primarily because of pacifiers,” Dr. Branam said. “They’re socially acceptable – thumb-sucking is not.”

It was while conducting research for the Ortho-Gibby, that dental research conducted in Sweden caught his attention.

“It showed that when mothers use xylitol products for the first two years of their babies’ lives, babies can potentially have 70 percent less tooth decay throughout their lifetime,” Dr. Branam said.

Xylitol, a natural sweetener derived from plant and fruit fibers, has been shown in clinical studies to combat the bacteria that can lead to tooth decay and chronic ear infection.

“Mothers and fathers transfer their bacteria from their mouths to their children’s mouths through kissing, sharing food, etc., so we have to break the chain,” he said. “And xylitol can help do that.

“I was shocked and encouraged by the research,” he said.

“In my practice, I have been watching tooth decay increase in children under the age of 6 and it’s a trend throughout the country,” he said. “Tooth decay has decreased in every age group of patient in the U.S. except one – 2- to 5-year-old children. For them, decay has gone up five percent.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recognized early childhood tooth decay as the most chronic childhood disease in America,” he added.

Armed with research, Dr. Branam began working with scientific laboratories throughout the country to develop a line of products formulated with a rich supply of xylitol with the goal of reversing the trend.

They include all-natural tooth gel for babies and toothpaste for kids; VitaSnax, a powdered vitamin-enriched supplement kids can eat right from the packet; NutraSplash, which can be added to 8 ounces of water in a glass or sippy cup; and gum.

The products contain xylitol and come in such tempting flavors as Go Go Grape, Yum Yum Bubblegum, Snappy Apple, Tutti Fruitti and Peppermint Kiss.

“We know kids are going to eat candy, and drink juice drinks and chew gum. We just want to give them better stuff,” Dr. Branam said.

All got a thumbs-up from staff members, parents and patients in market research conducted in his office, Dr. Branam said.

“Though they’re geared toward kids, anybody can use the products,” he said. “We’re looking into how they can be used to help senior citizens, people with disabilities and others who, for whatever reason, have difficulty brushing their teeth.”

The products are being manufactured and distributed through Branam Oral Health Technologies, Inc., a company founded in 2007, with assistance from the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) and Rocket Ventures.

They’re being marketed nationally and internationally to medical professionals, pharmacies, natural food retailers and online.

Currently, they’re available locally at Dr. Branam’s office, 3140 Dustin Rd.; at Walt Churchill’s markets; and at Health Yourself in Perrysburg. They may also be obtained by calling 1-877-327-2626 or at www.BranamSmile.com.

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