Kids Dentistry
Best time to visit a dentist is when first tooth erupts in mouth of a child or latest before 1st birthday.
Although no issue can be identified at this time but your child’s dentist can make best recommendations to take care of your kid’s dental problems. Cleaning of oral cavity and erupting teeth should be introduced very early in life of a child. It helps child to adopt good oral health practices early in life.
At Goel Dental we wish that every parent should take their child to a dentist regularly for examination since most of the issues at this age can be attended with simple measures.
When we have a kid on our dental chair we focus on to detect any cavities, jaw development, pits and fissures, alignment of teeth any habits that are damaging to dentition.
Many parents are in disbelief that if milk tooth is infected or has cavities it does not require treatment. We humbly request such parents don’t ignore this condition an infected milk teeth will infect underlying tooth bud or if it falls early there will be structural abnormalities.
Routine dental check up for children has many advantages
- Gum and teeth health can be assessed
- Orthodontic assessment can be done in young children
- Cavities can be detected in early stage
- Removes fear of dentist and inculcates healthy habits
- Habits like thumb sucking or tongue thrusting can be identified
Preventive dental treatments for children
Preventive treatment is done on healthy teeth to maintain tooth structure in good health and prevent damaging affects of high sugars and habits.
2 Min fluoride application
Fluoride is required to maintain strength of enamel. Regular fluoride application every 4-6 months reduces probability of child getting cavities. Make it a habit to get this procedure by dentist in every summer and winter vacation of children.
Pit and fissure sealant
Pits and fissure are deep burrows in tooth providing space for food debris to accomodate and give rise to cavities. A fluoride filling is applied to level these pits and fissures.
Habit breaking appliances
Children are prone to develop habits such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, lip biting etc which can have a negative impact on alignment of jaw and teeth. Habit breaking appliances can be fabricated by your dentist to control these habits.
Night Guard
A condition often neglected is night grinding. Night grinding is most deleterious of all habits and leave your child with severe teeth defects. Night guard prevents all this from happening and is an easy to use appliance.
Common dental procedures for children
- Fluoride fillings.
- Root canal on milk and permanent teeth.
- Crowns on root canal treated teeth.
- Space maintainer: A small appliance to maintain empty space if milk teeth falls early or has been extracted due to disease, it maintains space till permanent tooth erupts.
- Braces.
- Extraction.
- Scaling and polishing
- Pulp capping and pulpotomy.
Take home tips for children’s oral health
Care between 0-6 months
Clean baby’s tongue, cheek and gums after every feed or atleast twice with a soft clean cloth moistened with clean water.
6-24 months
This is the time when first teeth of your baby appears. Clean them using a soft bristled tooth brush, don’t use any paste till 2 years of age.
After 2 years
Introduce a non fluorinated or a 500ppm fluoride tooth paste to be used along with a soft bristled tooth brush.
What should be the frequency of teeth brushing in children?
Brush atleast twice daily and rinse thoroughly after every meal and sugared drink. If you have to brush only once night brushing is more important.
What if your child does not brush?
Brushing is a habit that child inherits from his/her parents. If introduced late some children may not enjoy brushing. Be patient with such children- get them fancy tooth brush, reward them for good habits, brush in front of them be a role model.
What is proper technique of brushing
Use a soft bristled tooth brush and stroke in vertical direction. Brush on all surfaces of teeth and don’t forget to clean the tongue.