Pediatric Dentistry FAQs

A pediatric dentist provides oral care to infants, children and adolescents. He/She has undergone two to three years of specialty study to acquire the knowledge and equip himself/herself with the skills necessary to render high quality dental services to your child. Simply put, if you have a heart ailment, you don’t just go to any doctor but to a cardiologist;

Causes tooth decay:The two primary causes of tooth decay in children are high sugar or carbohydrates diet and poor oral hygiene. Basically, the sugars in food activate the bacteria in dental plaque (a thick, colorless and sticky deposit of bacteria the forms on teeth) to make acids which attack the tooth enamel. Eventually, with repeated acid attacks, cavity forms as the enamel breaks down.

Prevent tooth decay: It is essential that you ensure that your child eats a balanced diet with limited servings of sugars and starches. Also, make sure that your child observes proper brushing and flossing practices. Lastly, regularly take your child to his/her pediatric dentist.

As per the American Association of Pediatric Dentist (AAPD), your child’s first visit to the dentist may be done as early as when the first tooth appears but not later than his/her birthday. For a better reminder, you can just keep this in mind, “First visit by first birthday”.

Usually, the first teeth start to appear or break out through the gums when the child is about six months old. Oftentimes, the first to erupt are the two bottom front teeth or the central incisors. Shortly after this, on the child’s 8th to 12th month, the upper central incisors appear.

The remaining teeth come out in the succeeding months. By the age of two or three, the child has a complete set of primary teeth (or 20 primary teeth)

You may clean your baby’s teeth: using water and a toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles or a clean washcloth. Using toothpaste is not recommended at this stage as babies still lack the ability and awareness to spit it out. Meanwhile, in terms of the frequency, brushing or cleaning your baby’s tooth/teeth once a day, before bedtime, may help remove plaque bacteria.

Child’s diet safe for teeth: Serve your child a balanced diet. A balanced diet means selecting food in the right amounts in each of the food groups (fruits and vegetables, breads and cereals, meat fish and eggs and milk and dairy products). To keep teeth strong and healthy, encourage your child to eat food rich in Vitamin D and calcium. It is also recommended that you limit their intake of sugars or starches as these are noted to cause cavities.

Child gets a toothache: Mix salt with warm water and use the solution to rinse the irritated area. If there’s swelling on the face, get a cold compress and place on affected area. To ease the pain, give him/her acetaminophen instead of as aspirin (as this can burn the gum). Most importantly, set an appointment with his/her dentist right away.

Child getting enough fluoride:The best and easiest way to find out is to ask your pediatric dentist to evaluate the fluoride level of your child’s primary source of drinking water. This is since children get their fluoride mostly from their drinking water. If results yield that your child is not getting enough fluoride internally, fluoride supplements may be prescribed by your pediatric dentist. On a side note, you may be wondering why fluoride is important. It’s valuable because research shows that it strengthens teeth and consequently, decreases the likelihood of a person getting cavities.

Certain cases truly necessitate the use of X-ray. Basically, X-ray images or dental radiographs aid dental practitioners in providing a more accurate diagnosis and better treatment for patients. For example, X-ray images make us aware of decays which are difficult to spot just by conducting a visual examination. In addition, they show us whether teeth are unable to emerge through the gum or if extra teeth are growing.

Suffice it to say, dental radiographs allow us to render the highest quality of service to our patients. Here at 7 Day Dental, we give you the assurance that our pediatric dentists wouldn’t require your child to get an X-ray if it isn’t necessary. Also, should it be needed, safeguards would be in place to minimize your child’s exposure to radiation.

Baby bottle tooth decay is the common term for tooth decay in infants and toddlers. It most often occurs in the upper front teeth but may also affect other teeth. Frequent and prolonged exposure of the teeth to beverages containing sugar leads to tooth decay. Also, sleeping with a feeding bottle in the mouth causes teeth to decay quicker as sugar coats the teeth for a longer period of time. To prevent this from happening, only fill your child’s bottle with low-sugar drinks. When putting your child to bed, put water only in his/her bottle. Once your child’s asleep, stop nursing or remove the feeding bottle. Also, wean your child by age 12-14 months. Lastly, to remove plaque, use a washcloth or gauze to clean your child’s teeth after each feeding.

Yes, thumb or pacifier sucking that continues even with the appearance of permanent teeth may result in bite problems and crowded and crooked teeth. While most children stop this habit on their own, usually between the ages of two to four, others have a tough time kicking the habit. Should you be having this problem with your child, don’t hesitate to ask the help of a pediatric dentist. They can talk to your child about the effects of this habit to their oral health. Moreover, they can recommend the use of a “fence” or a mouth appliance than can help your child stop sucking his/her thumb.

The use of toothpaste may begin as soon as child learns the ability to spit out and not swallow toothpaste. Oftentimes, this happens at the age of three (3). However, given that children this young do not know how to brush their teeth properly, parents should still assist or supervise them. Meanwhile, for children below 3 years old, parents may clean their child’s teeth with water and a washcloth or a soft-bristled brush.

Yes because primary teeth are important for various reasons. Foremost, these teeth aid in the child’s speech development, particularly enabling him/her to pronounce words clearly. They make it possible for children to chew properly and thereby maintain good nutrition. Furthermore, they serve as “guides” which permanent teeth follow when they erupt. Failure to have baby teeth filled or to care for them may result in infection of the jaws and gums, premature loss of teeth and impairment of general health. Moreover, as tooth decay is an infection capable of spreading, the decay on baby teeth may lead to the decay of permanent teeth as well. In short, proper care of baby teeth is essential in ensuring the oral health of your child.

It is important that you do not add to the anxiety of your child; so, stay calm. Next, search for the tooth. Then, hold it by the crown (not by the root) and reinsert it in the socket. If accomplishing this task is not possible, place the tooth in a glass of milk then take your child along with the glass to your pediatric dentist.

Serve your child a balanced diet. A balanced diet means selecting food in the right amounts in each of the food groups (fruits and vegetables, breads and cereals, meat fish and eggs and milk and dairy products). To keep teeth strong and healthy, encourage your child to eat food rich in Vitamin D and calcium. It is also recommended that you limit their intake of sugars or starches as these are noted to cause cavities.

Going to continuing care visits is one way of ensuring the proper growth of your child’s teeth. This is since these visits allow pediatric dentists to evaluate and monitor the growth of the permanent teeth. With this, they can recommend early on necessary interventions or treatments to allow the proper eruption of permanent teeth.

Certain cases truly necessitate the use of X-ray. Basically, X-ray images or dental radiographs aid dental practitioners in providing a more accurate diagnosis and better treatment for patients. For example, X-ray images make us aware of decays which are difficult to spot just by conducting a visual examination. In addition, they show us whether teeth are unable to emerge through the gum or if extra teeth are growing. Suffice it to say, dental radiographs allow us to render the highest quality of service to our patients. Here at 7 Day Dental, we give you the assurance that our pediatric dentists wouldn’t require your child to get an X-ray if it isn’t necessary. Also, should it be needed, safeguards would be in place to minimize your child’s exposure to radiation.

You can help your child protect his/her teeth by providing him with a mouth guard. Created using soft plastic, mouth guards, also known as mouth protectors, provide protection against sports-related injuries. It safeguards the wearer’s lips, cheeks, teeth, and gums. While mouth protectors are readily available in sporting goods stores, it’s still best to ask your pediatric dentist to make a custom-fitted mouth guard for your child. A custom-fitted mouth guard, as it is specially designed for its wearer, can offer maximum protection against sports-related injuries, including severe injuries to the head.

In most cases, it shouldn’t be because when the other front teeth erupt, this space will close. Of course, it’s always best to let a pediatric dentist check it to ensure that it’s not really a cause for worry.

Sensitivity to hot and cold is not uncommon in children given that baby teeth have enamel which isn’t as thick as that of permanent teeth. Another possible cause of sensitivity to temperature changes is the existence of an untreated dental decay.