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Pediatric Dentist San Antonio TX
A child’s first visit to the dentist should be enjoyable. Children are not born with a natural fear of the dentist, but they can fear the unknown. Our office makes a special effort to use pleasant, non-frightening, simple words to describe each treatment. We want you and your child to feel at ease from the moment your family arrives at our office.
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY RECOMMENDS…
Children should visit the dentist by their first birthday. It is important that your child’s newly erupted teeth (erupting at 6 to 12 months of age) receive proper dental care and benefit from proper oral hygiene habits right from the beginning.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR TEETH IS FUN!
WHEN NEW TEETH ARRIVE
Your child’s first primary, or “baby,” teeth will begin to erupt between the ages of 6 to 12 months and will continue to erupt until about age three. During this time, your child’s gums may feel tender and sore. To help alleviate this discomfort, we recommend that you soothe the gums by rubbing a clean finger or a cool, wet cloth across them. You may also choose to make use of a teething ring.
Your child’s primary teeth are shed at various times throughout childhood. Permanent teeth begin erupting at age six, and continue until about age 14. Adults have 28 permanent teeth (32 teeth, including wisdom teeth).
ADOPTING HEALTHY ORAL HYGIENE HABITS
As your child’s teeth erupt, be sure to examine them every two weeks, looking for lines and discoloration that may be caused by decay. Remember that sugary foods and liquids can attack a new tooth, so make sure to brush his or her teeth after feeding or eating. We recommend brushing two times a day for optimal oral hygiene.
Brushing can be fun, and your child should brush as soon as the first tooth arrives. When a baby’s tooth erupts, parents should brush the tooth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a smear amount of toothpaste.
Flossing is also a part of good oral hygiene habits, and your dentist will discuss with you the right time to start flossing your child’s teeth. If you notice signs of decay, contact your dentist immediately.
PREVENTING TOOTH DECAY WITH REGULAR CHECKUPS
Tooth decay is caused by acid, which can break down your teeth. Children are at high risk for tooth decay for a simple reason: many children and adolescents do not practice regular, good oral hygiene habits. Proper brushing and flossing routines combined with regular dental visits help keep tooth decay away.
Your child should visit the dentist every six months for regular dental cleanings and checkups. We recommend fluoride treatments twice a year along with cleanings to keep teeth their strongest. Tooth sealants are also recommended because they “seal” the deep grooves in your child’s teeth, preventing decay from forming in these hard-to-reach areas. Sealants last for several years, but will be monitored at your child’s regular checkups.
COMMON PROCEDURES
REGULAR EXAMS AND CLEANINGS
Regular exams are an important part of maintaining your child’s oral health. During your child’s exam visit, we will:
- Assess their dental health and growth
- Inspect the teeth and gums for cavities, gingivitis, or any other signs of dental disease
- Monitor their developing occlusion (bite) and eruption of teeth
- Perform a dental cleaning to remove plaque, stain, and tartar from the teeth
Prevention and early detection and management of caries and other oral conditions can improve a child’s oral and general health, well-being, and school readiness. A patient’s risk for developing cavities helps determine how often they should be seen for an exam. Those who exhibit higher risks should have visits more frequently than every six months. Regular exams are offered by appointment only, so please contact our practice today to schedule your child’s next dental exam and cleaning.
FLUORIDE
Fluoride contributes to the prevention, inhibition, and reversal of caries. Significant benefits can be achieved by the use of over-the-counter fluoride-containing products like toothpastes and rinses. It is encouraged that teeth be brushed with an appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste twice a day, and monitoring your child’s brushing will prevent ingestion of excessive amounts of fluoride. No more than a smear or rice-size amount of fluoridated toothpaste should be used for children less than three years of age, and no more than a pea-size amount is appropriate for children three to six years old.
Fluoride has been a major factor in decreasing the prevalence and severity of dental caries. The levels of fluoride that are attained from professionally-applied fluoride treatments produce a layer of calcium fluoride on the enamel surface, and this promotes the remineralization of the enamel. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages the application of professional topical fluoride treatments twice a year, and children at a higher risk for developing cavities should receive greater frequency of fluoride applications (every 3 months).
SEALANTS
Sometimes brushing is not enough, especially when it comes to hard-to-reach spots in your child’s mouth. Pits and fissures on the biting surfaces of molars trap food debris and bacteria, increasing the risk of developing cavities. Sealants give your child’s teeth extra protection against decay and help prevent cavities.
When a tooth is sealed, the grooves become smooth and are less likely to harbor plaque. Brushing your child’s teeth also becomes easier and more effective against tooth decay.
80 to 90% of cavities in the permanent teeth develop in the pits and fissures, so at-risk pits and fissures should be sealed as soon as possible. Every patient has unique needs, and your child’s dentist will recommend sealants on a case-by-case basis. Sealants should be monitored and repaired or replaced as needed.
TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS
A resin-based composite is an esthetic restorative material that can be used to restore both primary and permanent teeth. They can be used to treat cavities on the biting surfaces or found in between the teeth, and they are used to treat anterior teeth.
A protective liner will be placed under a resin when there is a deep cavity that is approximating the pulp, or the nerve, of the tooth. The placement of a liner in a deep area of a preparation will help preserve the vitality of the pulp, promote pulp tissue healing, and help minimize post-operative sensitivity.
Resins are technique-sensitive, so in cases where keeping the tooth dry is not possible or when patient cooperation is in question, they may not be the restorative material of choice. Resins are also contraindicated for high-caries-risk patients with multiple teeth that have caries on multiple surfaces of the tooth.
See our Dental Crowns page for another option.
EXTRACTIONS
There are times when it is necessary to remove a tooth, called “extraction.” This is the preferred treatment option in cases of dental infection. A large cavity can make a tooth unrestorable, and then extraction of that tooth is necessary. Sometimes a baby tooth has misshapen or long roots that prevent it from falling out as it should, and the tooth must be removed to make way for the permanent tooth to erupt. At other times, a tooth may have so much decay that it puts the surrounding teeth at risk of decay, so the doctor may recommend its removal. Infection, orthodontic correction, or problems with a permanent tooth trying to erupt can also require removal of a tooth.
The root of each tooth is encased within the jawbone in a “tooth socket,” and the tooth is held in that socket by a ligament. In order to extract a tooth, the dentist must expand the socket and separate the tooth from the ligament holding it in place. While this procedure is typically very quick, it is important to share with the doctor any concerns or preferences for sedation.