Dental FAQs
Baby Teeth
Pediatric dentists care for children of all ages. From first tooth to adolescence, they help your child develop a healthy smile until they’re ready to move on to a general dentist. Pediatric dentists have had 2-3 years of special training to care for young children and adolescents.
Baby teeth may be temporary, but they serve a very important role in the development and health of your child. They help your child to chew promoting proper nutrition. They also assist the child to speak in a normal manner.
Baby teeth hold space in the jaw for your child’s permanent teeth as well. If a baby tooth is lost too soon it can lead to teeth crowding which in turn can cause alignment issues when the permanent teeth begin to emerge leading to biting problems.
One of the most common forms of early childhood caries is “baby bottle tooth decay,” which is caused by the continuous exposure of a baby’s teeth to sugary drinks. Baby bottle tooth decay primarily affects the upper front teeth, but other teeth may also be affected.
Early symptoms of baby bottle tooth decay are white spots on the surface of teeth or on the gum line, and tooth sensitivity. More severe symptoms can appear in advanced stages of baby bottle tooth decay, and include brown or black spots on teeth, bleeding or swollen gums, fever, and bad breath. If your child shows any of these symptoms, you need to see your pediatric dentist immediately to prevent further, more complicated problems from occurring.
- Don’t send your child to bed with a bottle of anything EXCEPT water.
- Clean your baby’s gums after each meal.
- Gently brush your child’s first tooth.
- Limit sugary drinks and food.
Dental Emergencies
Contact our office. We can schedule a same day visit for your child. If you are an existing patient, we offer after-hours access to our pediatric dentists. Just call the office and you will be directed to the after-hours emergency service.
If you child experiences a cut on their tongue, cheek or lip, bleeding can usually be stopped by applying clean gauze to the affected area. You can also apply ice to the area to help stop the bleeding.
If you cannot stop the bleeding, call your pediatric dentist, or visit the emergency room. If your child has an open oral wound, for a long period of time they can be susceptible to infection.
If your child has a toothache which persists for more than 24 hours, contact our office. Persistent toothaches can indicate more serious problems that need to be observed by a dental professional.
Treatment
Orthodontic Treatment can be recognized as early as 2-3 years of age. Often, preventative steps can be taken to help reduce the need for major orthodontic treatment later on.
From ages 2 to 6, the main concern would be habits such as finger or thumb sucking. underdeveloped dental arches, and early loss of primary teeth.
From ages 6 to 12, treatment options deal with jaw and dental alignment problems. This is a great time to start treatment, as your child’s hard and soft tissues are usually very responsive to orthodontic or orthopedic forces.
Dental X-Rays are very safe and the amount of radiation from dental X-Rays is very small. Today’s equipment filters out unnecessary x-rays and restricts the x-ray beam to the area of interest. Dental X-Rays are designed to limit the body’s exposure.
Pediatric dentists are very careful to minimize the exposure of their patients to radiation. In fact, dental radiographs represent a far smaller risk than an undetected and untreated dental problem.
Prevention
To prevent cavities, we suggest enjoying a mouth-healthy diet, full of fibrous fruits and vegetables. Drink more water, which prevents dry mouth and naturally cleans teeth. Brush twice a day for two minutes at a time, and floss daily. Visit your dentist every six months for routine checkups and preventative care.
Fluoride is nature’s own cavity fighter. Fluoride is naturally found in all sources of water such as lakes, rivers and even the ocean. Fluoride is added to most public water supplies, so the tap water in your home has fluoride added to it. Fluoride helps build tooth enamel which helps protect your teeth from tooth decay.
For more than half a century, the ADA has recommended using toothpaste containing fluoride to prevent cavities. Fluoridated toothpaste does an excellent job of cleaning teeth, but make sure that your child spits all of it out and rinses their mouth thoroughly after brushing.
