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If you have children, you want to give them every advantage in life, including growing up with a healthy, attractive, and confident smile. Pediatric dentistry helps to ensure your child receives the best and most appropriate dental care, giving them the tools they need for a lifetime of good oral health.
In this guide, learn more about pediatric dentistry, the treatments offered, and the potential advantages for your child’s oral health.
Pediatric dentistry is a dental specialization dedicated to looking after the oral health of children right from infancy through to the late teens.
Children have very different oral health needs to adults as their teeth and jaws are still growing and developing. They also have smaller mouths, requiring different techniques and tools to ensure a more comfortable treatment.
A pediatric dentist can provide a wide range of oral healthcare procedures designed to prevent disease and enable young teeth and jaws to grow and develop optimally.
Treatments provided can include:
At Broadway Mall Dental, we encourage parents to schedule their child’s first dental visit by age one.
Early dental care is especially important for children and for several reasons.
One of the main aims of early dental care is to help build a good relationship with your child. We hope to continue seeing them for many years and to become their dental home.
Ideally, schedule their first dental visit when they get that first cute tooth. Otherwise, we would love to see them by the age of one. However, if your child is older, it doesn’t matter, and we will welcome you both to our practice.
If your child is about to visit our dental practice for the first time, here is what to expect.
We will spend some time ensuring your child feels comfortable and relaxed, and our dental team is great at helping children enjoy dental visits. We will need to examine your child’s teeth, and if they are very little, we may ask you to hold them on your lap while you sit in the dental chair and take a quick peek inside.
During the dental exam, our dentist will check the development of your child’s teeth and jaws, look for any signs of decay or other problems, and ensure everything looks good.
These early dental visits are an excellent time to ask about any dental issues and to get lots of useful advice about your child’s oral care. Typical topics that we can discuss with you include:
After that first visit, we can discuss your child’s dental health with you and develop a preventive dentistry care plan. The plan will outline any treatments we may feel are necessary straight away and how frequently your child should come and see us.
In between your regular dental visits, ensure good daily oral hygiene is part of your baby’s everyday routine. Good habits include:
If you have any questions about your baby’s oral care, please remember that we are here to help.
Our dental office offers a comprehensive range of pediatric dental services if and when your child needs them.
Many of the treatments we offer for children focus on preventing dental problems.
Regular checkups are an easy way for us to monitor your child’s oral health and pick up any problems if they develop. Treating problems much earlier is more effective, reducing the risk that a child could end up in pain from a severe tooth infection.
Oral hygiene appointments allow us to clean your child’s teeth professionally, getting rid of plaque and tartar buildup that could cause issues like tooth decay and gum disease. The appointments also leave them with beautifully fresh breath.
Fluoride treatments help strengthen tooth enamel and prevent decay. The fluoride is applied topically to teeth and is safe and effective. Treatment is completely non-invasive and painless.
Dental sealants can be applied to a child’s back teeth, preferably soon after they erupt. The sealants are painted onto the chewing surfaces of these teeth as they are prone to cavities. Sealing the surfaces helps prevent tooth decay. Treatment is cost-effective, long-lasting, non-invasive, and painless.
We do need to take sets of dental X-rays periodically. These are used to check your child’s teeth and jaws are developing and to check teeth that have yet to erupt. Digital dental X-rays are very safe; we only take these images if needed.
Digital X-rays are also used to diagnose a problem and can be sent to dental specialists if we need a second opinion or wish to refer your child for more specialized dental care.
If your child develops tooth decay, we will try to restore the tooth, even if it is a baby tooth. We can use tooth-coloured fillings to protect and preserve decayed teeth. Alternatively, we may cover the tooth with a dental crown. The crown may be made from stainless steel and is pre-formed, so it is quick and inexpensive to fit. It remains in place until the baby tooth is ready to fall out.
Our approach is to use minimally invasive techniques to preserve and protect these teeth until they can be replaced with adult teeth.
It’s possible to tell how a child’s teeth and jaws will develop and if there will be any problems as soon as age five or six.
If we think your child will benefit, we will recommend an early orthodontic evaluation around this age. It can be useful in planning treatment. Sometimes, early orthodontic care can effectively treat certain problems, reducing the need for braces during their teens.
As your child grows up and becomes more independent, we can work with them directly, educating them on the best way to brush and floss their teeth and explaining why good oral care is so important.
We love educating patients, especially kids and can provide information in a child-appropriate way and easy for them to understand. Of course, we encourage them to ask lots of questions.
Starting a routine of professional preventive dental care and practicing good daily oral care at home will help your child develop great oral habits that we hope will last for life. These habits will protect their oral and overall health. Over time, they will enjoy lower dental bills and all the confidence of a healthy and attractive smile.
Contact us to schedule your child’s first dental appointment. Our dentists are very gentle and great with kids. Dr. Eugenia Lungu has a special interest in children’s dentistry, and you can trust her to care for your child like family.
