Pedodontics includes all kinds of dental treatments applied to children and preventive methods to prevent caries. These;
- Filling, amputation, root canal treatment applied to decayed teeth,
- Extraction of untreatable or loose milk teeth,
- Placeholder application in case of early milk tooth loss,
- Cleaning the stains or bacterial plaque on the tooth surface,
- Emergency interventions after falling-crashes,
- Fissure sealants and flour applications are made to prevent caries.
Are milk teeth important?
Milk teeth in the mouth during the period from infancy to childhood have many functions such as nutrition, speech and aesthetics. In this period, milk teeth, malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, etc. Decay due to reasons and subsequent loss cause nutritional problems in children.
In the beginning, while the bruises have not progressed much, the pain that manifests itself as post-meal pain turns into continuous pain that will awaken from sleep at night. Therefore, children do not want to eat and the problem of not being fed enough arises. Interruption of night sleep and children not being able to sleep regularly will also negatively affect the development of children, just like malnutrition.
In addition, while caries in the initial stage can be solved with simple treatments such as filling, when they turn into pains that will awaken from sleep at night, further treatment requirements (root canal treatment, extraction) arise; This can lead to an increase in the time your child will spend on the sofa and possible cooperation problems.
Phonation problems can be encountered in the early losses of the milk teeth, which have an important place in speech and the correct pronunciation of words.
Deciduous teeth and permanent teeth are designed in a perfect balance among themselves, and deciduous teeth serve as an important guide for permanent teeth. They protect the existing place for permanent teeth to continue, and they ensure healthy jaw and muscle development. When preventive treatments such as placeholder are not applied in possible milk tooth losses, the tipping of the side teeth to the cavity causes crowding in the permanent teeth and the need for orthodontic treatment in the future.
In addition, children who cannot smile due to caries in early childhood and tend to keep their mouth shut, develop self-confidence problems in later periods. It is up to you parents to make your child smile safely …
Our expectation from parents before the first examination;
After your child starts erupting, make an appointment to meet a pedodontist without any problems such as pain, abscess, etc. The positive communication that your child will establish with the doctor at this first appointment will ensure that problems that may be encountered in the future can be solved more easily and smoothly.
The fears that children acquire from birth are generally due to the impressions and verbal communication created by the parents in the children. Therefore, before this first appointment, please do not tell your child such sentences as “do not be afraid, it will not hurt, it will not be injected, your teeth will not be pulled out” Please do not mention your own past experiences. Motivate your child with positive affirmations.
What is baby bottle tooth decay?
Early childhood decay, or colloquially known as “bottle caries”, is a type of decay that usually starts as dull chalky white discolorations in the upper anterior incisors as a result of wrong eating habits and progresses very quickly, and can lead to the loss of teeth. In fact, the factor in this problem is not the bottle, but the milk / liquid in the bottle. Both breast milk and cow’s milk naturally contain sugar. Molasses, sugar and other sweetening foods added to milk also worsen this situation. Feeding babies with a bottle before going to bed / during sleep causes the milk to remain in the mouth during sleep, creating a favorable environment for bacteria to multiply, causing decays with reduced saliva flow during sleep. For this reason, it is of great importance to clean the teeth, especially after night feeding.
What can be done to prevent baby bottle decay?
- In order for your baby to gain correct eating habits in the early period, to take precautions and to determine the risk; When your child’s first teeth come out, definitely consult a pediatric dentist / pediatric dentist.
- Do not let your baby fall asleep by breastfeeding or with a bottle. If you cannot prevent these habits, you should definitely drink water after feeding.
- Immediately after the teeth start to erupt, clean their teeth after feeding with the help of finger brushes or clean cheesecloths.
- Do not add molasses, sugar or other sweeteners into the bottle, do not immerse the pacifier in these substances and give it to your child.
What is preventive dentistry?
Preventive dentistry begins with the emergence of the baby’s first teeth and lasts a lifetime. In principle, it adopts the prevention of problems before they arise with the treatment planning to be prepared specifically for the child, following the determination of the special risk situation of the child.
Preventive applications in pediatric dentistry;
- -Regular dentist checks
- Ensuring healthy development by following the tooth eruption times
- Oral hygiene training and follow-up
- Informing parents about correct eating habits
- Determining the risk of caries and making a child-specific preventive program
- Fluorid applications
- Fissure sealant applications
- Stopping harmful habits such as finger sucking, nail biting, clenching teeth, and solving the problems they cause.
- Includes preventive orthodontic treatments such as placeholders
What is Fluorid application?
Fluoride application is the most effective and simple method known to control the initial stage of caries, protect tooth enamel from harmful acids and prevent new caries formation. In the USA and other developed countries, it is stated that the most effective method in preventing the increase of caries is regular fluoride applications (The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry – Guideline on Fluoride Therapy). Gel or polish forms applied to the tooth surface combine with the calcium in the tooth content, making the teeth more resistant to harmful acids. After the examination, your doctor will inform you parents about the fluoride application method and frequency in line with the needs of your child.
What is fissure sealant application?
Small pits on the surfaces of molars are called “fissures”. These pits create areas that are difficult to clean with a toothbrush. In molars where chewing is done effectively, especially in children who have not yet formed a regular brushing habit, decays that start in these areas and progress rapidly are very common. The main purpose of fissure sealant applications is to fill these pits with filling-like materials without damaging the tooth, thus creating areas that can be cleaned more easily with brushing and prevent possible caries. As it is known, “The most rational treatment is preventive treatment before the disease occurs.
What should be done if milk teeth are extracted early?
In addition to nutrition, speech and aesthetics, deciduous teeth also have a guiding role for permanent teeth that will come from under. It is thought that permanent teeth located just below the milk teeth reach their real position in the mouth by pushing the milk teeth while they are riding. In this process, after the loss of milk teeth due to possible problems (caries, trauma, etc.) in the early period, the failure to protect the place where the milk tooth is protected causes the adjacent teeth to fall into the cavity and the permanent teeth cannot continue properly when it comes to eruption, causing crowding. This leads to the need for long-term orthodontic treatment in the future. Therefore, protecting the extraction cavity with simple preventive appliances called placeholders after the extraction of deciduous teeth in the early period will ensure the correct positioning of your child’s teeth and protect your child from long-term orthodontic treatments by preventing crowding in the future.
What should be done in dental and surrounding tissue injuries in children?
Occasions such as broken teeth, displacement or coming out of place are very common due to the impact of children to the mouth area after accidents such as falls and crashes. In such cases, it is necessary to apply to a pedodontist as soon as possible and to make an emergency intervention. Even if the parents think that it is not a serious situation, it is very important to make an oral evaluation by a pedodontist, to determine the situation with a film, if necessary, to prevent possible problems.
In the event that the teeth come out after the impact, the root part is washed under running water as soon as possible, and placing it in the mouth is the most appropriate procedure before applying to a pedodontist. If the parents cannot do this, they should apply to a pedodontist as soon as possible by putting the tooth in milk.
Is it possible to perform dental treatments under sedation or general anesthesia?
Sedation or general anesthesia applications are preferred for dental treatment in children who cannot overcome the fear of dentists, who do not want to be treated in the sofa despite all efforts, and who have very high anxiety levels. Forced intervention in children who do not want to have these treatments during childhood both prevents the treatment performed in the planned manner and quality, and may result in the development of dentist phobia in the future and in adulthood. Therefore, sedation or general anesthesia should be preferred if there is no success in the necessary number of sofa treatments without forcing the children. Thus, it is possible to solve all the problems in the mouth in one go and children can regain their health without having bad experiences.
These applications should be carried out in full-fledged hospital conditions, under the cooperation of an experienced anesthesiologist and pedodontist, with team work. Before the procedure, it should be determined whether there is any obstacle to the procedures with the examination of the child by the anesthesiologist.