Children and Braces

Q: How do I know if my child needs braces?

A: It is important to regularly bring your child to the dentist so that orthodontic problems, if any, can be detected early and treated to prevent complications. Make an appointment with an orthodontist/dentist as soon as you observe any of these signs in your child.

Misalignment of jaws

When the upper and lower jaws do not meet comfortably, it can cause an overbite, under-bite or cross-bite. That makes it difficult for your child to chew and can cause frequent cheek or tongue biting.

Early or late loss of baby teeth

Baby teeth preserve space for adult teeth. If baby teeth are lost too early, the other teeth will move into empty spaces and cause the adult teeth to become crooked while they are growing out. On the contrary, if baby teeth are lost too late, it can also cause crowding in the underlying adult teeth and prevent the baby teeth from being pushed out.

Crowded teeth

When your child's teeth is overlapping or are too close together, it can prevent your child from brushing and flossing effectively. This will lead to plaque building up and increasing the risk of tooth decay.

Thumb-sucking or mouth breathing habits 

Prolonged thumb-sucking will cause your child's front teeth to protrude outward, while mouth breathing can result in your child developing a narrow jaw (lesser space for adult teeth to grow). Encourage your child to stop thumb-sucking by the age of four and if required, seek professional help with regards to your child's mouth breathing habits.

FitBit: When and what should I eat after my post workout?

How soon?

Well, we can answer this in another way…. what happens to your body if you do not eat post workout? If we do not eat well or soon after workout, we may feel crummy and enter into a low blood sugar phase. It is important to refuel your body, best within 30 mins of workout.

How to?

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep your meal prep fresh in your bag, especially in humid weather. It can also be difficult to find food in 30 mins if we have a busy schedule. We can however, plan and prioritize this important part of the day.

What to eat? Carbs vs Protein debate..

Target for a 2:1 or 3:1 Carb vs Protein diet to refuel your body. Carbs and protein are necessary to stimulate the insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis.

Bottom line.. Carbs help with Recovery, Protein helps Repair and Build Muscle.

Above all, try not to get obsessed over this as it may inflict unnecessary stress on yourself and people around you. We all know that stress increases cortisol levels and that may negate any post workout benefits. So, stay healthy and happy!

Gazpacho (chilled tomato soup)

Serves 6

Soup Ingredients:

• 800g large ripe tomatoes
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
• A pinch of caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Here’s what to do:

1. Peel the tomatoes: make a small cut in the skin of the tomatoes and plunge them briefly into a pan of boiling water for a few seconds, then scoop out and drop into a bowl of cold water.
2. Remove the skins, then quarter and remove the seeds. 
3. Place the tomatoes in a blender with the rest of the ingredients (reserving a little of the red pepper, red onion, cucumber and spring onion for garnish). 
4. Blend until smooth, adding a splash or two of water to loosen if it’s too thick. 
5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
6. Transfer to a bowl, cover and place in fridge to chill for 2 hours. 
7. Serve chilled soup in bowls topped with croutons and vegetable garnish. 

Actively encouraging students to engage in meaningful community service plays an integral part of CIS’ school curriculum and is integrated across the entire school from kindergarten through to grade 12. The aim is to foster empathy amongst the students and help them develop an understanding that everyone in our community can help make a difference.

Recently, grade 10 student Rafael organised an aquathlon at CIS to raise funds for the People Improvement Organisation (PIO) school in Cambodia. The event was a huge success. Fifty students participated and over $860 was raised for the school.

Holding the event involved a lot of organising and forward planning. “I had to begin this 6 months in advance so that I could get a spot on the school calendar for the 2019-20 year, ” explained Rafael. “My main research consisted of interviews with staff who have organized events at schools before. I also turned to books and websites to find out the last few basic details. Researching was a long process which lasted all the way up to the last day before the event!”

The funds raised at the event will be used to purchase building materials for school improvements during the CIS Cambodia Family Build trip to the PIO school later in the year.

“We will certainly try to organise the event again next year,” said Rafael. “We will try and expand the event scope by opening it up to other schools so we can get even more participants. This year we decided on 3 categories: sprint (200m swim/run), super sprint (400m/3000m swim/run) and endurance (800m/6000m swim/run). For next time, we will also change the distances so that they are similar to professional aquathlon events.”

To learn more about CIS’ community service programme contact their Admissions team on 67343 8088 or visit https://www.cis.edu.sg/learning/service-and-leadership