Lakeside Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric dentistry is a branch of dentistry that focuses on oral health care for kids and teens. The kids need to go to the dentist often so any problems with their teeth can be caught early and fixed.

People often have many questions and concerns about how to take care of their children's teeth and how they need to make their children trust their dentist from a young age so they can learn how to keep a healthy daily routine and be helped to do so. In this week's post, we'll talk about the most common treatments for children's teeth. What is pediatric dentistry? How to get them to stop being afraid of the dentist and so much. Read on if you're interested! You are your child’s first dentist.

Preventing tooth decay starts when a woman is pregnant because her oral health affects that of her baby. Bacteria from the mouth can quickly reach the fetus while it is still in the womb and even more quickly in the first few months of life. When a parent tastes the baby's food with the same spoon or fork used to feed it, there is a lot of saliva contact. If the parent's mouth is healthy, this won't cause any problems, but if it isn't, it will spread bacteria. Therefore, it is crucial to keep bacteria from residing in a child's mouth from when they are a baby. This will keep plaque from building up, which could cause dental problems in later years.

When should you go to the dentist for the first time?

Have you ever thought about when you should take your child to the dentist for the first time? Well, we think that our advice will be that this first contact is made as soon as possible so that any problems can be found and fixed quickly. The American Dental Association (ADA) says you should visit a dentist before the child turns one, that's 6months or, at most, just after. At this first oral checkup, the dentist will primarily look at the child's teeth and how they are coming in.

As we mentioned before, preventing and detecting dental problems are essential to avoid future dental problems.

In this sense, the pediatric dentist covers the following areas:

● Furrow and fissure sealants

These are an excellent way to keep kids' teeth from getting cavities. It involves filling any cracks that show up on the surface of the teeth. In addition, it is a painless treatment.

● Pulpectomy

It is a minimally invasive procedure similar to endodontics for adults, except that a baby tooth will be affected by caries in this case. It is done to stop a tooth from hurting and save it, so it doesn't have to be pulled out.

● Obturation

This treatment, also known as a dental filling, is done on adults and children. It involves putting fillings in a child's teeth that caries has damaged. This helps the child's oral health. So, you will be able to eat normally again without any pain.

● Fluoride application

This is an excellent way to prevent tooth decay because it hardens the enamel of the teeth, making them stronger and healthier.

● Orthodontics for kids

It is one of the most sought-after treatments for the family's littlest members. Children's orthodontics fixes problems with the way teeth are placed, problems with bone growth like crossbite or a narrow palate, and different malocclusions that are best treated in children and teens because they are still growing.

● Oral hygiene in children

We've already said that it's essential that the little ones in the house start taking care of their teeth as soon as possible, even if they need dental work.

In this way, the pediatric dentist will help both children and their parents get into good habits, like brushing their teeth and going to the dentist or cosmetic dentist regularly to check on the health of their mouths.

How do you take care of baby teeth?

Caries of the baby teeth, also known as "milk teeth," is a severe dental disease that can be caused by things like a family history of tooth decay and bad eating habits, such as drinking sugary products, especially fruit juices or similar drinks in the bottle, especially at night.

This disease, called "bottle syndrome," usually starts with small areas of demineralization near the gum line of the upper incisors. These areas quickly become small cavities, which join together to form larger lesions that spread to the milk molars. Even if children don't have this kind of clinical picture, caries can still form on their baby teeth if they don't take care of them well at home.

It's essential to take care of milk teeth because letting cavities get worse can cause pain and make it hard to chew, infections can damage permanent teeth that will grow later, and milk teeth that fall out too soon keep space for the permanent teeth. Taking care of a "deciduous" tooth is similar to a "permanent" tooth, except that you have to work in a tiny mouth and with a particular patient who needs extra care and time. It's also important to remember that you can achieve surprising results with children of all ages if the therapist can connect with them emotionally. This can be done with the help of the parents.

How can we get kids to stop being afraid of the dentist?

The first step in getting kids used to the dentist is to help them feel at ease. The parents are the most important people in this situation because they won't have to make the child worry about things he doesn't have to. Please don't say anything that might make him think he will feel pain during the session. This could make him nervous even before the visit starts.

When he sits in the chair, stand before him so he can always see you and let the dentist explain what will happen. At the time of the visit, there may already be a cavity that needs to be taken out. In this case, avoiding the "surprise effect" will be essential, so the different stages will be explained to the child using simple words and metaphors. Then, finally, he will feel better and be ready for the operation at the dentist.

Conclusion

After learning about the most common children's dentistry treatments, we invite you to meet our pediatric dentist, who will help you care for your children's oral health. Our children's dentists are the best at dealing with children's teeth problems and will make them smile when they leave the appointment.

Contact your Moses Lake dentist if you want to learn more about pediatric dentistry or other things you should do with your kids. You will get the help you need from us.

If you have more questions about the different treatments pediatric dentists offer by your Moses Lake dentist, please don't hesitate to contact us!