Children Dentistry

The medical term for a professional dental cleaning, prophylaxis is purely a preventive measure. Part of your dental checkup, prophylaxis is used to remove dental plaque and other irritants from the teeth and gum to control gingivitis. Dental Prophylaxis is more than just a teeth cleaning. Several measures are used to monitor and improve health of your teeth. During teeth cleaning, a hygienist can look for teeth that have a larger buildup of dental tartar and show you areas that need improvement in your oral hygiene. In addition, your dentist will exam your teeth and often screen for oral cancer. Children are extremely vulnerable to dental problems, and have special needs when it comes to their teeth. It is highly recommended for children to have their first dental appointment by the age of one year.

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in many foods and water. Every day, minerals are added to and lost from a tooth’s enamel layer through two processes, remineralization and demineralization. Minerals are lost (demineralization) from a tooth’s enamel layer when acids formed from plaque bacteria and sugars in the mouth attack the enamel. It is certainly important for infants and children between the ages of 6 months and 16 years to be exposed to fluoride. This is the timeframe during which the primary and permanent teeth come in. In children under 6 years of age, fluoride becomes incorporated into the development of permanent teeth, making it difficult for acids to demineralize the teeth.

Fluoride therapy is the delivery of fluoride to the teeth, topically or systemically, to prevent dental caries (cavities). In topical fluoride therapy, fluoride is applied directly to the teeth surfaces and fluoride replaces calcium to make teeth surfaces stronger.

Dental sealants also known as pit and fissure sealants are used as a preventive dental treatment, where a plastic resin material is bonded in the deep pits and grooves of chewing surfaces of primary or permanent molar and premolar teeth.

Thorough brushing and flossing help remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of teeth. But toothbrush bristles cannot reach all the way into the depressions and grooves to extract food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas by “sealing out” plaque and food. Dental sealants act as a barrier to prevent food particles and dental plaque to collect in the deep pits and grooves and prevent dental caries.

When a tooth is exposed to acid frequently, for example, if you eat food that containing sugar and starch or drink liquid that containing sugar and acid, the repeated cycles of acid attacks cause the enamel to continue to lose minerals. A white spot may appear where minerals have been lost. This is a sign of early decay. But if the tooth decay process continues, more minerals are lost. Over time, the enamel is weakened and destroyed, forming a cavity. A cavity is permanent damage that a dentist has to repair with a filling.

Dentists use more tooth-like materials (composite resins and porcelains) that are both safe and predictable. The most important feature is that they look and react more like natural teeth. Composite resin is restorative material to fill into cavities resulting from decay. The resin is applied in layers, which are instantly set with special light. Composite resins are becoming the preferred approach, as they are more natural looking, safe (mercury free), strong and durable.

A root canal is needed for baby tooth when the pulp, the living tissue inside a tooth, becomes damaged or infected often as a result of dental caries (tooth decay) or trauma. Common symptoms that might indicate a need for baby root canal therapy include a severe toothache, increased sensitivity to hot and cold, swelling, and discoloration.

During a baby root canal, the affected part of the nerve is removed and a medicament is placed over the remaining surface. After a primary tooth has had a baby root canal, the most effective and long lasting restoration is a crown.

The purpose of a baby root canal is to maintain the integrity and health of a baby tooth and the supporting gum tissue and bone. The primary teeth provide important guides for the newly developing permanent teeth that will replace them. It is an important part of preventing infection and maintaining the health of the developing adult teeth.

Early Orthodontics may mean less treatment later. The American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) recommends that all children receive an orthodontic screening by age seven to evaluate cross bite, overbite, crowding, and other problems. Because bones are still growing, it’s an ideal time to evaluate a child so dentist can determine what orthodontic treatment, if any, may be needed either now or in the future.

The benefits of early intervention by a dentist include:

• A better prognosis for how the permanent teeth will develop
• Correcting bite problems like an open bite, cross bite or deep bite
• The ability to guide the growth of the jaw to accommodate emerging teeth
• Lowering the risk of damage to any protruding or misaligned teeth
• The ability to improve your child’s appearance and increases self-esteem and confidence in your child.
• Creating a more pleasing and functional arrangement of teeth, lips and face
• Alleviating future, and possibly more invasive treatment like orthodontic surgery to correct jaw relation.
• Avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions; reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth.
• The ability to correct any habits that may be the cause of development problems, such as thumb sucking, tongue pushing and abnormal swallowing

Nitrous oxide is a safe and effective sedative agent that is mixed with oxygen and inhaled through a small mask that fits over your nose to help you relax.

Nitrous oxide, sometimes called “laughing gas,” is one option your dentist may offer to help make you more comfortable during certain procedures. It is not intended to put you to sleep. You can still respond to your dentist’s requests and answer questions. Your dentist will ask you to breathe normally through your nose, and within a few short minutes you should start to feel the effects of the nitrous oxide.

Use of Nitrous oxide provides safe, comfortable dental treatment for patients with dental fear, anxiety or nervousness. Nitrous oxide is safe for children, but not all children will be able to receive it. Children must be able to put up with having the soft nose piece or mask placed over the nose. They also must be able to breathe through the nose, and follow instructions from the dentist.

Your dentist may want to talk to your medical doctor before giving you nitrous oxide if child has certain conditions.