Start Your Child’s Oral Health Routine Early

The first year of life for your infant is an important one—with rapid development that sets the stage for health later in life. While you might already be thinking about routines such as sleeping, make sure you don’t neglect the importance of establishing an oral health care routine with your child.

Research suggests that the earlier you start the better. In fact, studies show that a large number of 2- and 3-year-olds already have cavities; some of these children will require invasive treatment and hospitalization. However, good dentist-led education during pregnancy and throughout your child’s first year will give your toddler the best chance for a cavity-free mouth.

If you are pregnant, schedule a visit with us. A scientific study conducted in Australia in 2008 and repeated in 2014 found that a mother’s meeting with a pediatric dentist during pregnancy and again when the child reached 6 and 12 months went a long way toward preventing early childhood cavities.

Because the Internet and other sources of information can be unreliable, it is critical that you receive information from a qualified pediatric dentist. Topics we discuss will range from nutrition and oral hygiene to the use of pacifiers.

Dental care has a significant, positive impact on your child’s quality of life. Conversely, a lack of dental care can have a negative impact. Research shows that early childhood cavities can lead to

• physical symptoms, such as pain, that can lead to malnutrition and delayed growth from a reluctance to eat
• functional problems, including poor chewing and limited communication due to  poor speech and a loss of space in the mouth
• psychological effects from the low self-esteem that results when a child’s mouth and teeth don’t look their best
• a higher risk of future cavities

Don’t wait until your child experiences problems before visiting KiDDS Dental. Infancy is a critical time when it comes to laying down a foundation for good oral health. Setting up an effective oral health routine early is easier than changing unhealthy habits later on.

Straight Talk About Crooked Teeth

As your child’s teeth grow in, there’s a good chance they may not all line up neatly. As your child grows older, misaligned teeth, often the result of genetics, can benefit from orthodontic treatment. Not only can treatment boost his or her confidence and self-esteem as your child grows into adulthood but it can save your child from a variety of health problems.

Misaligned teeth can take many forms—an overbite or an underbite, too much or too little space between teeth. All these conditions can be treated with appliances such as braces, space maintainers and retainers that put gentle pressure on the teeth and the jaws to move the teeth into place. Fortunately for your child, these days many orthodontic appliances are less visible than traditional braces are. In some cases, for example, brackets are bonded to the back of the teeth.

Even if your child does need traditional braces, the long-term benefits are significant. In addition to affecting your child psychologically throughout life, crooked teeth and misaligned bites can

• interfere with proper chewing of food
• make it more difficult to brush and floss, thus increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease
• strain the teeth, jaws and muscles, increasing the risk of breaking a tooth
• cause abnormal wear on tooth surfaces, difficulty speaking and possibly temporomandibular joint disorders

Your child should be screened for orthodontic treatment when he or she is about 7 years old, when permanent teeth start coming in and bones are still growing. While orthodontic treatment is unlikely to start quite that early, future problems can often be spotted even at that young age. If your child has not been evaluated for misaligned teeth, call us to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jared. With proper care, your child will grow into adulthood with a healthy, confident smile.

Save That Knocked Out Tooth!

If your child comes running to you with a bloody mouth and hole where a front tooth used to be, don’t panic. Take a deep breath. If your child lost a baby tooth, let it go. If your child lost a permanent tooth, that is a dental emergency. But teeth can often be re-implanted. You can increase your child’s chances of keeping the tooth by taking the following steps.

1. After ensuring that your child has no other serious injuries, do your best to find the tooth. If the tooth is whole, pick it up by the crown (the top part that you use to chew) instead of the root. This is very important—holding it by the root can damage the most fragile part of the tooth, which needs to be in good condition for the tooth to be implanted successfully.
2. Rinse the tooth gently in saline or milk. (Tap water can be used if these aren’t available, but the chlorine in the water can damage the tooth; use water only if you have no other option.) Rinse your child’s mouth with warm water.
3. If your child is old enough to keep the loose tooth in his mouth without swallowing it, reinsert the tooth into the socket, and have your child bite down gently on some gauze. If the tooth is broken or fragmented, or your child can’t keep it in his mouth for any reason, you can either place the tooth in a glass of milk or keep it inside your own mouth, between your lower gum and cheek. This will keep the tooth “alive” until you can come to our office.
4. Come directly to our office (or the emergency room if the accident occurs when we aren’t available). We will place the tooth back into the mouth, along with a “splint” that will hold it in place.

Sometimes, the body will reject the tooth and it can’t be able to be saved. But if you take these measures, you are giving your child the best chance to remember the accident as a funny story rather than as a permanent injury.

Different types of dentist and how they help your oral care

While many people see dentists as the single group of people who look after the health of your teeth and mouth, there are various specialist categories that help you in different ways.

The categorization of a dentist will depend on their education, training and experience.

Here are some of the main specialist areas of dentistry:

Endodontics: Concerned with the dental pulp – the part in the center of a tooth made up of living soft tissue and cells and root canal therapy

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology: This deals with the identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions

Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology: Deals with the production and interpretation of images and data produced by radiant energy that are used for the diagnosis and management of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral and maxillofacial region

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Diagnosis and surgical treatment of diseases, injuries and defects of the tissues including extractions, facial surgery and implants

Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics: Mainly deals with diagnosis, prevention and treatment of misaligned teeth and modification of midface and mandibular growth

Pediatric Dentistry: Provides preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence.

Periodontics: Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the supporting and surrounding tissues of the teeth and the maintenance of the health, function and esthetics of these structures and tissues. Most periodonitist place implants

Prosthodontics: Diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues. Includes dentures, bridges and the restoration of implants.

Plus, of course, general dentists provide everyday care and many specialist services to maintain your oral health.