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As pediatric dentists, preventive dentistry is perhaps the most important role we can play in a child's life. A child's first visit to a pediatric dentist should take place between 6 months and 1 year. Beginning visits early is crucial to preventing dental disease, and is the first step toward a healthy smile.
Children need adult supervision until around the age of 8 for brushing their teeth and 10 years of age for flossing. That is why our hygiene program is so important. Our hygienist will properly clean your child's teeth and alert you to any areas that need more attention.
At the first scheduled appointment with our dental hygienist, your child will have his teeth cleaned, x-rays, a fluoride treatment, and an examination by a doctor. However, since every child is a individual, each procedure will be introduced one at a time. As your child accepts a procedure, our hygienist will introduce another one.
The examination by the doctor will determine a treatment plan for your child. The plan will include oral hygiene instructions for your child, dietary suggestions to help prevent future dental disease, any cavities that need to be restored and a preliminary orthodontic exam.
Our goal is for your child to view coming to our office as a pleasant experience and leave with a smile. To reinforce this positive experience, a prescribed frequency of every 6 month for a cleaning and examination is very important. This will also help to ensure your child will grow up as part of the cavity free generation!
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Baby or primary teeth are meant to stay in place until the permanent tooth is ready to erupt. Unfortunately, some children lose baby teeth too early due to an accident or severe dental disease. When this occurs, a space maintainer may be required to prevent future dental problems.
If your child loses a baby tooth too early, the remaining teeth may shift, tilt or move up or down, filling the space intended for the permanent tooth. The permanent tooth can come in crowded or crooked. If this condition is left untreated, more extensive orthodontic treatment may be needed. Space maintainers encourage normal development of the jawbones and muscles, and save space for the permanent teeth and help guide them into position. These appliances are made of plastic or metal custom fit to your child's mouth.
Space maintainers do require special care:
- Avoid Hard/Sticky Foods.
- Teeth should be brushed after each meal. Clean the teeth with bands especially well.
- Use a fluoride mouthwash once a day to help prevent decalcification of the teeth around the band and wire.
- Do not try to bend the wire for any reason with a finger or the tongue.
- Call our office right away if a tooth erupts under the wire, it should be checked.
- Notify our office immediately if the bands come loose or the space maintainer is damaged in any way.
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Tooth decay is the most wide spread disease amoung children. It is also the most preventable. One of the methods we recommend, as a deterrent to tooth decay, is a "sealant". Tooth decay often occurs on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth that contain pits and fissures. It is very difficult to remove food particles and plaque from these areas. Toothbrush bristles cannot reach all the way into the pits and grooves, nor can the normal flow of saliva wash away food particles from these depressions. Sealants help protect these areas by "sealing out" plaque and food on the 6 and 12 year molars.
The application is quick and comfortable. It takes only one visit. We condition and dry the tooth to help the sealant adhere properly, apply the plastic material, and then allow it to dry.
Sealants are very cost effective. For over 20 years they have proven to be extremely effective in preventing decay. Sealants can save you money, and your child the discomfort of tooth decay.
Please remember it is still very important to brush and floss, eat a balance diet, limit snacks and visit your pediatric dentist's office twice a year!
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As we stated previously, a unique service we provide is Hospital Dentistry. As the term implies, it is performing traditional dental procedures (fillings, crowns, extractions, x-rays, and in some cases cleanings, etc.) in an operating room. An anesthesiologist, utilizing a general anesthetic will put a child to sleep.
Some of the reasons why children may be candidates for this specialized care are:
- Even with oral sedation, some children, due to age and tremendous anxiety, just cannot cope with the dental treatment being done in our office. Their fear and anxiety causes them tremendous stress.
- Physically or mentally challenged children are sometimes candidates.
- If extensive dental work is required, it is much easier on a young child to be placed under general anesthesia to have the procedures done. This is much less stressful than to have a child endure repeated visits and long hours in the dental chair.
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Hospital Dentistry is coordinated with a child's pediatrician, the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and the insurance company (if applicable).
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Thanks to modern technology, dramatic improvements have been made in the strength and durability of composite filling materials. Often referred to as bonding, it is basically the process of filling or fixing teeth with a tooth- colored filling material made from durable plastics.
The appearance of a cavity free smile is not the only benefit of tooth-colored fillings. They bond chemically to the tooth and release fluoride to reduce the possibility of recurring tooth decay. Also, less tooth enamel needs to be removed by the dentist. Silver or amalgam fillings neither release fluoride, nor do they adhere to the tooth.
Care for composite fillings is the same as normal care of your teeth...
good oral hygiene and regular dental visits.
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