The BBB Program for Happy and Healthy Kids
Our Mt. Pleasant dental team is big on helping children develop a strong foundation for skills and habits that will set them up for a lifetime of success. Good habits start early. As parents, one of the best things we can do is read with our children and help them develop early literacy. That’s why ...read more
Setting the Table – Dr. Randy Handles Picky Eaters
I’m not just a Mt. Pleasant children’s dentist, I’m also Dr. Dad. Both roles in my life have given me experience with something every parent is familiar with — picky eaters. This is a phase that most children go through, and it’s more about power and control than the food itself. But what ...read more
Children’s Dental Health in 2019
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM), so it’s a great time to brush up on dental hygiene for children. Kids often need a little extra help with personal care, relying on parents, educators, and their Mt. Pleasant dentist to encourage healthy brushing habits.
This year’s ...read more
5 Tips to Help Your Kids Floss Daily
Many parents struggle to teach their children to floss daily — many of them struggle to do it themselves! But flossing is very important to remove food and debris from between teeth, a place that a brush simply can’t get to. Flossing fights plaque and prevents bad breath, as well as reducing the ...read more
6 Inspiring Stories of Giving
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your own life that you don’t pay attention to the struggles of strangers. That’s why we’re so surprised (or even suspicious) when a stranger does something unexpected and kind for someone else.
A kind word here or a small donation there can inspire others to ...read more
Dr. Randy’s Halloween Candy Survival Guide
Halloween in Mount Pleasant is the best! Lots of fun, crazy costumes, and you even get candy. Even dentists like candy…especially Dr. Randy!
What pediatric dentists don’t like is the colossal cavity bonanza and the health problems that can occur from the massive amounts of candy involved. ...read more
Dr. Randy Wants Your Candy, Part 9
Bring your excess Halloween candy to the practice in exchange for cold, hard cash!
...read more
Does Fluoride Toothpaste Prevent Cavities?
I’ve dedicated my life to taking care of children’s teeth, so when I say that kids should use fluoride toothpaste, you can take that to the bank!
Parents want the best for their kids, and many have been wary of fluoride due to the rumors, stories, and reports that have been around for years. However, ...read more
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Teeth
Most of us take our teeth for granted right up until the moment something goes wrong with them. As a Mt. Pleasant children’s dentist, my goal is to educate my young patients about their teeth and how to make them last a lifetime. It often helps to educate their parents, too!
They’re just teeth? ...read more
Five Amazing Kids Who Are Trying to Save the World
After years of practice as a pediatric dentist in Mount Pleasant, I’ve come to understand that we grownups have a lot to learn from kids. Without the weight of life experience filtering out the complications, biases, and overall cruelty of our world, they are free to express their curiosity and compassion ...read more
Preparing Your Mt. Pleasant Home for Hurricane Season – 2018 Edition
The Eastern U.S. faced a pretty intense hurricane season last year, and some areas still haven’t fully recovered. Many South Carolina residents, unprepared for the devastation, struggled as stores ran completely out of food and water, while gas lines stretched as far as the eye could see.
While 2018 ...read more
Aromatherapy in Mt. Pleasant
Many people experience dental-related anxiety, and children are not immune. With the masks, gloves, and metal tools prodding their mouths, you can’t blame kids for being a little nervous. That’s why our pediatric practice in Mt. Pleasant incorporates aromatherapy with essential oils in order to ...read more
Strawless Summer Recap: Stop Sucking, Charleston
What tiny changes could you make in your life that, if everyone else followed suit, would make a drastic change—not just in Mount Pleasant or Charleston, but all around the world?
One such change is to stop using plastic straws. With Fall officially here, the Strawless Summer Challenge is technically ...read more
The Daleyza Hernandez Story
Last month, we heard about the tragic death of Daleyza Avila Hernandez. It’s any parent’s worst nightmare—a routine dental procedure resulted in the accidental death of a three-year-old child.
All they wanted was to fix their daughter’s teeth, but now she’s gone. What happened?
Daleyza’s ...read more
Looking Back on 17 Years: What We’ll Miss
Our Mt. Pleasant pediatric dental practice recently packed up and moved into a new office! This move has been a long time coming. While we are all very excited about the opportunities ahead of us in our new practice, we’re taking with us 17 years of great memories.
Have a look at what we’ll miss ...read more
What Are Dental Sealants?
Children are notoriously bad about adequately brushing their teeth, particularly those molars in the back. Parents often wish there were a way to protect the newly-emerged adult teeth until their children are old enough to adequately protect their own oral health. Dental sealants are the answer these ...read more
The Children of Mt. Pleasant Need You
We’ve been busy this month visiting schools around Mt. Pleasant. Why all the field trips? Perhaps you didn’t know it, but February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.
National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) aims to motivate children to adopt good oral hygiene. We have been out ...read more
Candy Buyback Brigade
If you didn’t catch our 2016 Candy Buyback event, you really missed out! It was a lot of fun. Specifically, it was more than a half-ton of fun.
You see ^ that? That’s all candy! More than 1,000 pounds of it. We’d like to give a shout out to South State Bank for sponsoring the shipping for Operation ...read more
Halloween in Mt. Pleasant
Halloween has arrived in Mt. Pleasant, and that means it’s time for costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating!
Despite being a relatively recent phenomenon, the development of Trick-or-Treating in the U.S. has a fuzzy history. As a holiday, it wasn’t really celebrated in America until the 19th century, ...read more
Flossing and the Failures of Journalism
After news reports last month, many people in Mt. Pleasant have wanted to know what their dentist has to say about flossing.
The problem with journalism is that some reporters don’t act with due diligence. In an era where clickbait-headlines and Twitter feeds trump fact-checking, the media often seems ...read more
Flumist Nasal Spray Shot Down by CDC
It was only a year ago that modern medicine had children all over the nation breathing a sigh of relief. The FluMist nasal spray was the new alternative to the standard (and dreaded) flu shot.
Because most children are fearful of shots, and some adults, too, the FluMist seemed like a hero from ...read more
The Best Places in Mount Pleasant
If your family has recently moved to Mt. Pleasant, you probably haven’t experienced the sites I’m going to talk about, today. Our beautiful city has a deep and rich history (by American standards), and is still one of the fastest growing cities this side of the Mississippi.
Our wonderful city is ...read more
11 Low-Sugar Summer Recipes Your Kids Will Love
When you spend a majority of your time at a pediatric dental office in Mt. Pleasant, you get to know your young patients pretty well.
I know kids look forward to the summer because school is out, and they can start having new adventures outside of the classroom. It’s a time for them to explore and ...read more
Treat Your Mom this Mother’s Day
As a pediatric dentist, Mt. Pleasant is a great place to work. We love providing care for our patients and getting to know their families.
We also know there’s usually one family member who makes every dental appointment, makes sure the patient shows up on time, and takes great pains to look after ...read more
Dental Technology from the Future!
When you think of a children’s dentist in Mt. Pleasant, you might not automatically think of “advanced technology.”
Many pediatric dentists don’t always have the chance to move ahead with new technology, so it’s understandable that you don’t always associate the two.
At our practice, ...read more
Spring Holidays in Mt. Pleasant
Though we look forward to the winter holidays every year, sometimes the spring holidays are almost as fun. As a kids dentist in Mt. Pleasant, though, we also know how much more sugar the average kid consumes around Easter and St. Patrick’s Day.
It’s hard to avoid sweets and candy entirely, but we ...read more
Ask Mt. Pleasant’s Most Trusted Pediatric Dentist, Dr. Randy
When you’re a parent, you want what’s best for your children. Naturally, that means you tend to ask a lot of questions. As a pediatric dentist, I love answering those questions. Anything I can do to make my patients and their parents feel more secure and comfortable, is well worth doing.
We thought ...read more
It’s Back in Full Force – Employee Spotlight
The holidays are a busy time for a child’s dentist. With the help of our great team, we managed to get through unscathed– and make our patients happy, to boot. 2016 is a new year and I’ve never been more grateful for my employees. I figured we’d start the new year off right with our next ...read more
Preparing a Child’s Smile for 2016
Are you ready for the new year? Even if you have your New Year’s Eve Party perfectly planned, there still might be some things you’re not considering. As a children’s dentist, we’re always thinking about how to keep our patients’ smiles healthy and happy. Unfortunately, sugary foods and cavities ...read more
Operation Gratitude Was a Hit!
The only thing kids love more than candy, is helping others. At our November 7th Halloween Candy Buyback event, we proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
As a children’s dentist, we know kids get attached to their Halloween candy– and we also know how happy they are to pay it forward and send ...read more
What We’re Thankful For in 2015
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so it’s time to count our blessings.
Each year on Thanksgiving, I have to clear out of the kitchen and give Randy plenty of room. He’s the real star of our household on Thanksgiving. He makes sure the turkey is perfect and the sweet potatoes are plentiful ...read more
Costumes, Candy, and Cash – Oh My!
Each year, we look forward to our annual Halloween Candy Buyback. We work with Operation Gratitude to send pounds of candy to our troops overseas. Last year’s event was a huge success, and we collected over 700 pounds of candy!
As a pediatric dentist, we know the negative effects too much Halloween ...read more
Community Pride
From everyone here at our practice to you and your family, we hope you’re safe and dry. The rains are slowing but the floods are still gaining momentum, so we’ll have to remain strong for a while longer. If you have food, water, and shelter, now is a good time to help your neighbors and help rebuild ...read more
Everything You Need to Know to Protect Your Child’s Teeth
School is back in full swing again and, for many of us, contact sports are once more part of our daily lives. Team sports provide physical activity, teach perseverance, teamwork, and give our kids something fun to look forward to every year. As a children’s dentist, though, it’s our job to help ...read more
Getting Kids to Bed on Time: Helpful Hints
Every child is different. They all have different needs and preferences, and they all react differently to the world around them. This is especially true when it comes to sleep. As a dentist for kids, we see children with all different types of personalities and temperaments.
Sometimes they’re ...read more
This Month’s Spotlight Goes To…
Shakeya, “Keya” Haynes! This summers been a whirlwind of activity and keeping up with our beloved employee spotlight blog has been tough! But, we are back at it with another interesting employee spotlight, so let’s get to it! Italy, Steak, and Sweet Potatoes — Yes Please! Keya is one of...read more
Step Away from the Toaster Strudel!
I don’t know about the rest of you parents out there, but the hardest part of going back to school is the chaos that mornings bring.
The idea of having my kids dressed, fed and prepared for the day by 7:30 a.m. makes me queasy! I have gotten way too comfortable with our lazy summer mornings, and this ...read more
How To: Handle Dental Accidents While Away From Home
I have the pleasure of speaking with parents and their children all day; so I encounter all sorts of questions about dentistry for children on a daily basis. And I’ve noticed summer time is also prime accident time. Whether it’s skateboards or trampolines, trips abroad or swimming in the neighbor’s...read more
We are Charleston Strong
This past week, our city was rocked by a terrible act of violence. Over the next few weeks, our town will hold nine funerals and there has been an amazing outpouring of generosity, support, and love from within our community. Did you hear about the 10,000 people who gathered together and crossed the ...read more
Summer Tips for a Healthy Smile [Infographic]
![Summer Tips for a Healthy Smile [Infographic]](https://www.smilesbydrrandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-24-at-10.11.42-AM-104x150.png)
Summer time is finally here and you know what that means?! A jam-packed summer schedule that is sure to keep everyone busy and on the go. Summer time is an excellent season for enjoying all of our favorite summer (and maybe not so healthy) foods!
We want to help out with this handy infographic your child ...read more
It’s Not Really Broken Unless Dad Can’t Fix It!
Looking for ways to show your father how much he means to you? Yep, us too!
Because, lets be honest… Dad doesn’t need another tie!
Maybe this year should be about creating memories instead of purchasing things. We think, giving someone your time is far better than another tie to get lost in a drawer! ...read more
Healthy Teeth and Healthy Eating Starts Locally
As a mom, I’m always looking for ways to change up my meal planning. Sometimes we need some new recipes for inspiration. A trip to our local farmers market always seems to perk me up!
Eating locally grown food is a great way to support local businesses, it’s better for the environment – less ...read more
Dental Insurance 101
Dealing with dental insurance can be extremely confusing. We meet parents every single day that ask questions about their dental insurance coverage. We’ve been doing this a long time and we understand the intricacies of this process.
Just in case this is your first visit with us, or you are tired of ...read more
The Many Benefits of Bone Broth
I have a good friend, Landria Voigt, a local nutrition blogger with a fantastic bone broth recipe.
The bone broth trend has been around as long as chicken soup. Are the fantastic claims of the benefits of bone broth overblown? Possibly. But, the truth is, chicken soup has long been touted as a cure-all, ...read more
Diet Pepsi Goes Aspartame Free
Did you know that soda sales have dropped in recent years. In response to consumer concerns, PepsiCo is removing aspartame from all of its Diet Pepsi products in the U.S.: Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi, and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi.
Diet Pepsi first hit shelves in 1964. Back then, it was sweetened ...read more
Macaroni and Cheese Gets A Makeover!
Image Credit
Hey, big news from Kraft Macaroni and cheese!
Kraft is removing artificial dyes from their products, specifically, yellow dye numbers 5 and 6. But, they promise their famous, comfort food taste, will not change. I can tell, you’re breathing a sigh of relief right now, because mac & ...read more
Mouthguards for Summertime Safety
Summer is in full-swing and hopefully you and your kids are enjoying the nicer weather. Keeping the kids busy while school is out can sometimes be a challenge. It’s always nice to send them outside to play!
But, this is the time of year that our dental office waiting room tends to fill up. Trampoline ...read more
It’s Not Really Lost Unless Mom Can’t Find It!
Is that the case in your house, too? Who else is the fixer of all things “broken,” the finder of all things “lost,” and the keeper of all things “treasured”? Mom’s are really great, aren’t they? Mother’s day is fast approaching. Sunday, May 10th to be exact. And, in an effort to not...read more
Pediatric Dentistry: What Does That Mean For Your Child?
When looking for the perfect dentist for your children, what do you look for? Experience, an advanced degree, maybe technology? How important is their primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care to you?
As a parent, you only want better than you had for your children, right? ...read more
Join us in Celebration!
Can you believe it’s been a quarter of a century since the Autism Society launched a nationwide effort to help promote autism awareness? Us either, but we are so thankful they did! National Autism Awareness Month represents an amazing opportunity to help promote and spread autism acceptance and awareness ...read more
By Popular Demand: The March Employee Spotlight!
We are so thrilled to see just how many of our readers enjoyed the newest addition to our blogging adventures! Employee spotlights are SO much fun and it really gives us a time to highlight and dote on each of our amazing individual staff members! Doing so means you guys get to see not only their professional...read more
Who’s Man’s Best Friend? Rhett Butler, of Course!
A few weeks ago, we brought home the newest member of the Pagenkopf family! Appropriately name, Rhett Butler! We are in the south, after all! The kids have fallen head over heels for him, and we find ourselves spending way too much time swooning over this fluffy little ball of cuteness! But how could...read more
National Nutrition Month: Go Green!
Kids love eating wanky green foods! Who knew? So, play it up, have some fun, and surprise them with some unusually awesome green treats! They’ll love it! Green Eggs & Ham, Sam I Am! I love the spin on this age old tradition! This Green Egg Casserole (click for recipe) from Mr. Breakfast, is easy...read more
March Madness & We’re Not Talking About Basketball, Here!
Is it just us or are you all feeling giddy about Spring?! I know our family has been running around the clock soaking up as much of this pleasant weather as possible! It won’t be long before the long summer days are here and trying to keep the family eating healthy, balanced meals will feel like more...read more
She’s Fun, Charismatic, Witty, and All Ours!
We love what we do and we love that our staff loves what they do, too! We have said it a million times over, we have AMAZING staff and we appreciate their hard work and dedication, tremendously! We wanted to shake things up this month by offering a small glimpse into the life of one of our awesome employees!...read more
What Are Your Kids Eating? It Matters!
In our continued crusade for National Children’s Dental Health Month, we want to cover one of the most important aspects of it all! Eating! More specifically, what kids are eating.
It begins early. Healthy eating habits are crucial for a long life of great oral health! So how do we, as parents, help ...read more
Parents: You’re In Luck! Help Has Arrived!
As a parent, I fully understand the struggle that goes into getting our kids to brush their teeth as well as floss! It’s an exhausting battle, every. single. day. Lucky for us, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, which means the American Dental Association as worked together to...read more
National Children’s Dental Health Month!
February kicks off Children’s Dental Health Month and here at Dr. Randy’s office, we are so excited for all the great tips, helpful ideas, and innovative ideas that come our way! We love being able to help our patients (and their parents!) turn ordinary brushing and flossing into fun-filled adventures!
This ...read more
What Is That and Why Is It in My Food: Part 3
We have made it to segment three in our blog series and it’s a great topic that I’m excited to cover and hopefully provide education on! If you’ve been reading our current posts then you can see that we’ve covered ingredients, daily percent values, and lastly, we will be covering the less obvious ...read more
Pediatric Dentistry – Why We Love What We Do!
There is something about being a Pediatric Dentist that brings out the passion I love within the work I do. It’s something that I know is very important and educating those patients I see has a great deal of importance to me.
Everyone in our practice genuinely loves what they do and the roles they ...read more
They’re Just Baby Teeth – Why Fix Them?
That’s a really great question and one we often get from our parents. There are many different reasons why we recommend fixing a baby tooth rather than leaving it or pulling it.
Below we will go over the various reasons and treatments that should be covered should your child develop and issue with ...read more
A Decade of Superior Dedication!
We have always said that we have the greatest and most amazing staff in our office, and to prove it we celebrated the ten-year anniversary of our office manager, Chandi, recently! We wanted to do something special to document this monumental occasion and thank Chandi for the past 10 years of amazing...read more
What Is That and Why Is It in My Food: Part 2
In our recurring blog series on how to better read and understand food labels, we covered the basics of food label reading during our October post. This month, we will be clearing up the confusion behind Percent Daily Values. Don’t Be Mislead! The Percent Daily Value (% DV) on the Nutrition...read more
Santa Doesn’t Want to Hand Out Cavities for Christmas!
The holiday season is in full swing, with Christmas just around the corner! So what does that mean for your child’s oral health? It could mean a lot, even cavities! The hustle and bustle of spreading holiday cheer can disrupt your children’s daily oral routines, but it doesn’t have to! We want...read more
Dr. Randy’s Holiday Office Hours
This Christmas season, we will have some changes to our normal office schedule. So we want to allow enough time for parents to schedule those last-minute appointments before those changes take place! Everything Is Merry and Bright! Our office will be closed Monday December 22 through Sunday December...read more
Halloween Candy Buyback Was a Huge Success!
If you weren’t able to make it to our annual Halloween Candy Buyback event at Dr. Randy’s, then you really missed out on an amazing fun time! We had a great group of vendors, awesome games, beautiful Disney Princesses, and tons of candy! We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout! In all, Halloween...read more
What is That and Why is it in My Food?
When it comes to providing healthy foods for our family, it’s easy to be duped. A lot. Those brands that pose themselves as “all natural” or “100% whole grain” come up short and come off as a crock. So how do we really know what’s going into our food and subsequently into our bodies? By reading...read more
Thanksgiving – A Time to Reflect, Show Gratitude, and Make Memories!
Ah, Thanksgiving! A tradition that we look forward to spending with our family and friends! A time that is treasured and memories that get stored away in our minds for future reference, whenever we need a little boost in our day!
In the Pagenkopf family my father, Richard was especially partial to Thanksgiving. ...read more
Winter is Coming – 5 Ways to Keep Kids Healthy!
Winter can be a parent’s worst nightmare when it comes to keeping our children healthy! It seems as though kids bring home EVERYTHING these days.
The severity of a virus is parallel to the strength of a person’s immune system, so why not take some steps to help ensure your child’s immune system ...read more
Sick, Sick Everywhere! Not to Panic – We Have Tips to Share!
Don’t panic just yet! With everything in the news about Ebola and the D68 Enterovirus, it’s hard NOT to panic even just thinking about it!
Dr. Randy Pagenkopf has you covered.
We want to go over a few basic practices that will help insure your family won’t be coming down with any of these ...read more
Sports Drinks: Avoid at All Costs!
Back-to-school season is in full swing, and so are the fall sports!
Most people don’t realize it, but soccer is a wildly popular fall sport, and one that requires a lot of running and agility. For football and other high-energy impact sports, most parents and coaches advise kids to bring a sports ...read more
6 Defining Facts That Set Us Apart!
When searching for a new dentist for your child, it can become exhausting trying to wade through pages upon pages of dental providers in your area. So we want to provide some factual information and hopefully some enlightening education on exactly what sets a pediatric specialist apart from a general ...read more
Eat This, Not That!
School is back in session, and that means it’s back to trying to keep our kids on track with healthy eating! Busy schedules and packed days can make that “easy” task seem quite daunting! I wanted to put together a few ideas that are fun, easy, and healthy alternatives that kids will actually eat...read more
Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That…Halloween Candy Is Where It’s At!
Last month we blogged a little about our annual Candy Buyback event, so I wanted to discuss it again in further depth so all our patients and their families can make preparations to attend! This year’s event is going to be huge! You won’t want to miss it! Big Goals and Exciting Guests! This will...read more
Operation: Candy Buyback—It’s That Time of Year Again!
Remember last year when we did our Candy Buy Back program after Halloween? Well it’s getting close to that time of year again! Crazy, huh?!
We want to give our patients enough time to begin thinking about participating in our fun program, which was inspired by Operation Gratitude!
This Is How It Works!
After ...read more
Parent Appreciation Program
Each month we like to do a little something special to show our appreciation for all our wonderful parents! We have come up with a nice way for our parents to have a chance to win great prizes from one of our many local vendors every month! Each month we will be posting pictures of those prizes on our...read more
False Claims = Loss of Trust
What do you look for when you’re choosing a medical or dental provider? Education? Training? Board certifications? If asked on a whim, would you know if your providers are, in fact, board certified? Is board certification an important factor when you’re choosing providers? Because it should be! Indication...read more
Success, Love, Proven: EZ-Pedo
When it comes to dental treatments for our kids, only the very best technology will do. We are proud to offer state-of-the-art technology in our office when it comes to our patients’ dental needs! Last month we made a post regarding a piece of equipment we use in our office, and we wanted to continue...read more
Oral Health and Your Immune System
Did you know that your overall oral health is directly linked to your immune system? This is not a factor most of us are aware of, but we should be! Poor oral health, according to a recent study conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers, has been linked to a variety of immune system issues....read more
It’s in the Works!
Those patients who have come into the office recently may have noticed the color board we’ve put on display for our future office! Plans are in the works, and we should be breaking ground in January—fingers crossed! It’s Not Final—Until It’s in Stone! As the old saying goes, we have specs...read more
One of These Dentists Is Not Like the Other!
Not all dentists are identical. As pediatric specialists, we spend countless hours continuing our educations and learning the most current practices in children’s health! In our office, we pride ourselves on treating our patients with advanced techniques. An innovative technology called WaterLase...read more
Tired of the Lies and Half-Truths from Our Food Industry?
At Dr. Randy’s office, we’re more than just your Mount Pleasant pediatric dentist. We’re parents too. As such we’re dedicated to learning the truth about one of the greatest health crises’ of our time: obesity in America. Here are some tips on how this happened and how we can learn to live ...read more
