Pediatricians specialize in children’s oral health, starting from as early as when a child is an infant, through the teen years. Pediatric dentists recommend parents to bring in their child to the clinic not long after the child’s first tooth appears. Usually, teeth start to appear at the age of 6 months.
Children’s baby teeth start to appear during their first 6 months of life. By the time they are 6 or 7 years old, their first set of teeth begin to fall out. Later, secondary or permanent teeth replace the set of teeth that has fallen out.
If parents do not commit their children to dental care, the children might experience potential decay and disease.
Orthodontists help prevent and treat misaligned teeth due to genetics or a child’s habits, as well as problems in the jaw. Orthodontists recommend parents bring their children in for an orthodontic evaluation when they are 7 years old. Although in some cases children have obvious facial irregularities before the age of 7, they should be evaluated immediately.
Orthodontists depend on indicators of orthodontic problems, such as:
Orthodontists recommend carrying out the orthodontic treatment, as per each case, as early as possible.
This prevents further complications from occurring at later stages.
Consistent brushing at home is necessary, however, it is not sufficient to maintain healthy gums and teeth. Children should develop habits of visiting the dentist regularly from an early age. During these regular checkups, the dentist assesses the child’s teeth and recommends treatment plans, if needed.
Regular checkups typically take about one hour. The dentist starts by reading through the children’s oral health history. Then, the child gets X-rays. After the dentist reviews the child’s oral health history, dental cleaning begins.
First, the dentist scrapes off the plaque on the child’s teeth. Then, using an ultrasonic dental tool, the dentist cleans all sides of each tooth. The final step the dentist takes in dental cleanings is flossing and polishing the child’s teeth.
After the dental cleaning is completed, the dentist reviews the child’s X-rays. The dentist looks for any cavities or problems in the X-rays and develops a treatment plan if needed.
The children’s appointments for the first few years of their lives will not entail a lot of kids’ dental cleanings. Alternatively, the dentist will search for any developing issues, and follow up to ensure the child is brushing and taking care of teeth.
Later on, the child should go to the dental clinic to get the kid’s dental cleaning every 6 months. This habit should be extended into the child’s adulthood and keep going to the dental clinic for dental cleanings every 6 months.
Once the child’s first tooth appears, the pediatrician might recommend the child receive fluoride varnish treatments. Children should get fluoride varnish treatments 2 to 4 times a year, as they prevent cavities. Fluoride varnish is made of fluoride, which is a mineral that makes the enamel of the tooth stronger. However, fluoride varnish treatments do not entirely stop cavities from occurring. Instead, it prevents cavities or decay when the child is brushing with toothpaste that contains fluoride, flossing consistently, and receiving dental care regularly.
Dental sealants are coatings that the dentist places over the child’s molars to shield them from potential decay. Dental sealants are clear resin liquid that is placed over the child’s molars using a brush. The blue LED light bonds the sealant to the child’s tooth, creating a layer of protection. The procedure is carried out by cleaning the teeth first and drying them from saliva. Then the dentist applies fissure sealant for 20 seconds. The dentist then asks the child patient to wash with water, afterwards, the teeth are left to dry. After drying the teeth, the dentist applies the sealant and hardens it with the blue LED light. The dentist finally monitors the results of the treatment during regular visits every 6 months.
When a child develops a tooth cavity, the most common treatment to get is a dental filling. The filling repairs the cavity and permits the tooth to work properly. However, when a cavity is left untreated for a certain amount of time, it gets worse. This eliminates the option of treating the cavity with a dental filling as the tooth has been damaged beyond a certain point. Moreover, extracting the concerned tooth can cause issues with the child’s permanent teeth development and growth. Therefore, the best option in such cases is to treat the concerned tooth with a kids’ dental crown.
Typically, at the age of 12, baby teeth fall out and the kids’ dental crown goes away with it.
Dentists carry out pulpotomy dental procedures to rescue teeth that are decayed or infected. The pulp is the inner part of the tooth and it is made of blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves.
A greatly infected tooth caused by deep decay threatens the tooth, the gum, and the neighboring areas inside of the mouth. If the infection extends into your child’s root of the infected tooth, the dentist recommends a root canal procedure instead of a pulpotomy. The root canal procedure eliminates the entire pulp of the tooth in addition to the roots. Whereas pulpotomy is recommended in cases where the infection extends into the tooth’s blood vessels, connective tissue, or nerves. In a pulpotomy procedure, these three parts (blood vessels, connective tissue, and nerves) are eliminated.
Dental procedures such as pulpotomy trigger anxiety especially for children. It is the responsibility of both the child’s parents and the dentist to try and relieve the child. For example, parents can tell their children that the pulpotomy procedure will make the pain they are feeling go away. Also, dentists can reassure the children that they will not experience any pain during the procedure.
Dentists use space maintainers in certain cases. When children lose one of their baby teeth earlier than they are supposed to, and the permanent tooth has not erupted. Space maintainers, as their name indicates, maintain the space that the permanent tooth requires to fully develop and erupt.
Baby teeth can be lost earlier due to deep decay or infection, which leads the dentist to pulling it out. Some baby teeth might get loose and fall out earlier on their own. No matter the reason for baby teeth loss, their loss creates space. The right method to prevent the rest of the teeth from drifting into that space is by using space maintainers.
Children tend to lose removable space maintainers, or do not like to wear them much. Therefore, dentists recommend the fixed type of space maintainers.
Usually, by the time your child is 7 years old, the adult molars begin to develop, which creates a backbite. Therefore, the orthodontist at this stage assesses the child’s tooth relationship in terms of biting. This helps the orthodontist know whether the child’s adult teeth will have enough space for their development. Dentists carry out growth modification for patients whose bones are currently in their development stage. This therapy is most effective at an early age and has many advantages. Growth modification offers a solution for teeth that are overcrowded, prevents and treats underdevelopment of upper and lower jaws, and prevents cases of bad bites.
Moreover, undergoing growth modification therapy at an early stage of patients’ lives prevents many dental disorders. On the longer run, growth modification therapy helps with the following:
If you feel your kid is old enough to start their dental appointments, visit Levantine Dental clinic. Our expert team will answer your questions and provide you with expert consultation and your child with the right treatment.
Out of awareness of the importance of giving children’s teeth the care they need, it is necessary for parents to allocate time during the year to visit the pediatric dentist, at least twice a year, and in order to ensure that you reach a specialized and accredited pediatric dentist, all you have to do is go to a clinic Levantine Dental in Dubai, and there you will deal with a team of dentists, and you will get a set of tips for taking care of your children’s teeth, including:
Feel free to schedule an initial consultation with our dentists so we can assess your condition and find out if this treatment is the right choice for you. We will sit down with you and share more information on all the processes involved in the treatment, including other details such as number of visits, price, and duration of the treatment. Give our team a call today so we can set an appointment for you.