All About Pediatric Dentistry: Comprehensive Care at Our Pediatric Dental Clinic
Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry that is age-defined and is involved with management of dental health in children through comprehensive preventive and therapeutic measures. It caters to the oral health needs of children from infancy right up to adolescence, including children who have special health care needs.
What Does A Pediatric Dentist Do?
Pediatric dentists are trained to work on various disciplines, techniques, procedures, and skills that are common to adult dentistry but are adapted to cater to the unique requirements of infants, children, adolescents, and children with special needs. Children with primary teeth have different challenges from those with permanent teeth and pediatric dentists work with the needs of both. Children may be intimidated by the tools and environment of a dentist’s office and memories of bad dental experiences can cause them lifelong trauma causing them to reject necessary dental care in future. Therefore, pediatric dentistry also involves study of sound psychological principles that allow them to have a more positive, and relatively painless experience.
Importance of Pediatric Dentistry
Good oral health in childhood lays the foundation for sound oral and overall health throughout a person’s life. Pediatric dentists focus on ensuring good oral health for both the primary and permanent teeth of children.
While there is a popular misconception that primary teeth do not require much care since they are anyway going to fall out in due course, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Dental decay in primary teeth can lead to oral infections, which could spread to other areas of the head and neck, causing fever, pain and severe swelling and will need to be treated with antibiotics. Early loss of primary teeth can cause issues with development of speech with the child having difficulty making the ‘tha’, ‘la’ and other sounds and may require speech therapy at a later date to break the speech patterns. Primary teeth also hold space for the permanent teeth developing underneath and early loss of primary teeth can cause shifting of teeth and gaps, later causing malocclusion or crowding of teeth.
Permanent tooth eruption can be an uncomfortable time for the child and the best pediatric dentists take time to explain the process to the child so that they can treat it as a positive experience. Permanent teeth that do not require adequate oral health care will be prone to cavities, which can quickly result in intense pain, infections and more advanced dental decay. If the child’s permanent teeth are damaged beyond repair, they will need to be removed, which could impair the child’s chewing, digestion, speech and overall health. In some cases, permanent teeth are crooked or crowded and providing orthodontic treatment early can enable easier and quicker resolution to the oral health problems.
Common Pediatric Dental Issues
Dental issues are common in children across ages, which is why the best pediatric dentists promote preventive and proactive care in addition to dental treatments for tooth damage. Some of the dental problems that are experienced by children and adolescents include:
Cavities
Improper oral care and dietary habits can result in accumulation of plaque or tartar in the teeth which can cause tooth decay or cavities. Cavities need to be treated with dental fillings, where the decayed part of the tooth is cleaned and filled with a hard composite material.
Tooth Sensitivity
Tooth sensitivity can cause discomfort and pain to the child and can be easily treated. It is caused by factors like cavities, new tooth eruptions, wearing down of the tooth enamel, bruxism (excessive grinding of teeth), issues with dental fillings or as a result of orthodontic treatments.
Chipped Teeth
Children are generally very active and mobile, which could lead to accidents and dental emergencies like teeth chipping, breaking or cracking. Not all of these accidents can be prevented, but using a mouthguard when playing sports can help prevent sport-related injuries. In case of dental emergencies, it is important to see a pediatric dentist immediately.
Pediatric Gingivitis and Gum Disease
Buildup of plaque, if left untreated, can cause serious bacterial infection in the teeth and gums called gingivitis. It is commonly seen in pediatric dental patients who have poor oral hygiene. Other reasons for gingivitis include hereditary causes, poor diet, mouth breathing, hormonal changes during puberty, bruxism, or as a result of certain medication which causes dryness in the mouth.
Improper Bite
Due to structural malformations or due to habits like thumb sucking or use of pacifiers, many children develop improper bite. This may be an underbite (where the lower teeth project beyond the upper teeth), overbite (where the upper teeth project much beyond the lower teeth), or open bite (where there is a gap between the upper and lower teeth even when the mouth is closed).
Dr. Kammath’s Pediatric Dental Care
With more than 14 years of experience in pediatric dentistry, Dr. Deepak D Kammath MDS (Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry) at Dr. Kammath’s Pediatric Dental Care ensures best in class child dental care services from general dentistry to all speciality treatments for your children. As one of the best pediatric dentists in Trivandrum, he also offers his services as a Consultant Pediatric Dentist in various hospitals and clinics in and around the city.
Preventive Services at Our Clinic
The best preventive care for oral health is ensuring proper oral hygiene through regular brushing (twice a day) and flossing and ensuring good oral habits. At Dr. Kammath’s, our pediatric dentists recommend regular oral examinations and teeth cleaning, at least twice a year to keep the teeth healthy and protected. Minor decay can be stemmed early with fluoride applications and pit and fissure sealants, so that there is no further damage.
Specialised Treatments Offered
Where preventive treatments are not effective, it is important to use therapeutic treatments that take care of the dental issues, causing minimal pain and reducing the need for further treatment in the future.
- Pediatric Orthodontics – Children with teeth alignment issues, usually between the ages of 7 to 12 years, require pediatric orthodontic treatments using braces or Invisalign aligners. Fixed or removable myofunctional appliances may also be used for correction of jaw deformation in children, in order to eliminate complex surgical procedures in future.
- Pediatric Endodontics – When the dental pulp or nerve tissues of children’s teeth are damaged or decayed, pediatric endodontic treatments like pulpotomy, pulpectomy, and root canal treatments can help to maintain the tooth’s health and functionality and prevent further infection and damage. Pediatric dental crowns may be used for younger children to protect their damaged primary teeth and to give it strength.
- Pediatric Oral Surgery – Some conditions like tongue tie (where the tongue is attached to the floor of the mouth), mucocele (cyst like structure resulting from obstruction of salivary glands commonly seen in lower lips, palate, cheek, tongue and floor of the mouth), supernumerary tooth (having extra teeth in the mouth in addition to regular number of teeth), or odontoma (developmental malformations of dental tissues like obstruction of eruption ,infection, abscess and cystic changes) may require minor surgical procedures, which are carried out at our clinic under safe and effective conscious sedation or nitrous oxide – oxygen inhalation sedation.
- Special Care Dentistry – Special care dentistry is pediatric dentistry that is tailored to the individual needs of children with physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment or disability. It covers preventive, diagnostic and treatment services to protect oral health.
What To Expect During Dental Visits
Parents and children are equally apprehensive when the child is scheduled for his / her first dentist visit. At Dr. Kammath’s Pediatric Dental Care, your child would be made to feel most comfortable and any of their fears would be put to rest before the process of examination is commenced.
At the first dental visit, the pediatric dentist will first study the child’s complete health history before conducting a full examination of the teeth, jaws, bite, gums, and oral tissues to check growth and development. The examination would be age appropriate and the duration of the exam may vary depending on how many teeth have erupted, the jaw formation etc. Tooth cleaning and polishing may be required if the dentist finds plaque build up or stains on the teeth. In case of extensive damage, the dentist may recommend dental x-rays, depending on the age of the child.
After the first dental visit, it is advised to schedule regular dental visits once in every six months (or less), depending on the results of the dental examination. This will help the dentist to take preventive measures to ensure that the child’s teeth and gums remain healthy. The periodic visits will also help the dentist to establish a comfort level with the child and build their confidence for future visits.
Expert Tips For Parents
The importance of maintaining good oral habits at home cannot be emphasised enough. Since children may not be able to effectively take care of their oral hygiene on their own, parents play an important role in ensuring good dental health.
- Brushing teeth twice a day is a non-negotiable part of oral hygiene. Children should also be taught proper brushing technique and to floss their teeth effectively. While brushing the teeth, care should be taken to clean the tongue as well.
- Getting regular dental checkups starting from the age of one year is crucial in preventing dental problems in children. Even when the child’s teeth look healthy, the parents should make it a point to schedule routine dental examinations at least twice a year.
- Limiting sugary foods and beverages to occasional treats can help prevent tooth decay and cavities due to the action of bacteria. Instead the children should be encouraged to follow a balanced diet and to consume healthy snacks in limited quantities when hungry between meals.
- Skipping breakfast can cause tooth decay! Children who eat a high-protein breakfast are less likely to crave foods rich in sugar during the day. Sugar is one of the primary causes of tooth decay in young children.
