Category: Pediatric Dentistry

In an era where access to care has received such emphasis, every parent desires that their child should receive the best dental care from a dentist who makes their child comfortable. Here is where a Pediatric Dentist plays an important role to giving quality dental care.

What is a dental home?

It’s basically an ongoing relationship between parents and dentist which includes all aspects of oral health from the time child’s first teeth erupts. This approach is mainly family centered where all concerns and queries regarding child’s teeth are taken into consideration. As we all know we have two sets of teeth and the milk teeth are the guiding teeth for your permanent teeth to grow, so it becomes very important to take good care your child’s milk teeth by helping them grow guiding permanent teeth.

Why is dental home important?

Tooth decay is one of the main issue which almost every child faces. When these cavities are not treated, various invasive treatments might be needed for the child which will be time taking, at time painful and also expensive. Education and prevention is one of the responsibility of a dental home and prevention of cavities can safeguard your child from all the trauma. Also oral health is important for overall wellbeing of a child for which Dental Home helps instill all preventive measures.

When should your child have his Dental Home?

As soon as your child’s first tooth erupts or their first birthday comes, your baby should have first dental visit. Many parents have a question, why so early dental visit?

The reasons being as follows-

• Teeth are at risk to cavity the moment they erupt in mouth.
• Bacteria cause’s cavities and babies get these bacteria typically in age group of 6 months to 30 months
• Waiting too late till all teeth erupts is too late as by then your child is already prone to various bacteria because of improper brushing and eating habits

Benefits of Dental Home

Early diagnosis

Pediatric dentist understands common problems that affects child’s teeth and starts preventive measures immediately. Tooth decay, fractured tooth, stains are most likely to occur with child’s teeth, but all these problems can be resolved if you visit dentist early. Preventive measures like fluoride, gels, sealant application can be started at earliest

Exclusive dental care for children

From birth to adolescence, Pediatric dentist will take care of your child’s teeth by teaching brushing habits, giving dietary tips, and keeping the mouth clean from all bacteria.

Also if any tooth and jaw growth abnormalities are present, can be diagnosed early. Children needing braces treatment can be identified at early stage and less intensive treatment can be started immediately. Also timely referral to an orthodontist or a speech therapist can be carried out

Guide the permanent teeth

The sequencing of preventive measures is utmost important to have good permanent teeth. The timing of placement of dental sealants or fluoride gels can be anticipated from previous appointment and consecutive appointments can be scheduled. Also milk tooth exfoliation and permanent tooth eruption can be monitored and guided

Childs behavior management

Regular visits to a dental office makes the child comfortable and reduces their anxiety about various treatment procedures a children get accustomed to dental environment. This makes the parents stress free and reduces all pain and trauma a child might face or the fear which children might develop with a random dental visit.

Anticipatory guidance

An important feature of dental home is to provide anticipatory guidance to parents so that they are aware of their child’s growth and development, as well as risk factors that occur in children. This provides a framework for the dentist to start the timely treatment for every kid and periodically engage parents in conversation about their child’s oral health

Also the preventive treatment can be personalized to the need of the child as the risk factors for every kid varies and same preventive measures cannot be generalized for all children

Few things included and taught in Dental home

• To drink milk from cup by end of their 1st birthday. Also they should not be allowed to sleep with milk bottle at night.
• Semi solid foods should be started at 6-9 months of age
• In between meal snacking should be always followed by swishing mouth
• Sugar coated pacifiers is a must NO for any child
• Appropriate sized toothbrush should be given to kids with adequate amount of toothpaste and fluoride paste should be avoided below 3 years of age

Does Your Family Have a Dental Home?

Pediatric dentist is your true friend to provide oral health for your kids and we at Minimolar (unit of Credence Dental)  would like to help you establish a Dental Home, where your children can be treated from their 1st birthday or the day their first tooth erupts. Call us today to setup a stress-free first visit for your child, and give them the best oral health care.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today!

GIVING YOUR NEW-BORN A PACIFIER?

Pacifiers are objects that are put into the baby’s mouth during periods of distress or crying when the infant is either not hungry or his stomach is too full to eat but still needs the pleasure derived from sucking on something. They help in soothing the babies while crying.

Why do babies like Pacifiers and Sucking?

Babies like sucking because it makes them feel like being in their mother’s womb. In the womb the babies suck their fingers because the womb’s soft walls deflect their hands towards the mouth. After birth, they try to suck their fingers but cannot do it because of poor muscle coordination. That’s why babies are so relieved when you put a pacifier, breast, or bottle right into place.

When should my baby start using a pacifier?

In breastfed babies, pacifiers should be used only when the baby is one month of age and older so that till this time he gets used to the normal nursing routine. Early pacifier use can disrupt the breastfeeding habit. Pacifiers may hide feeding cues in your babies. Feeding cues are ways that your baby tells you that they are hungry. This can eventually affect the mother’s milk supply.

Bottle-fed babies can be given pacifiers right after birth.

How to choose a Pacifier?

Usually, there are two types of pacifiers: Orthodontic and Non-orthodontic. Always choose a pacifier that promotes oral development. This can be accomplished by looking out for the word ‘Orthodontic’ on the product.

The orthodontic design imitates the natural nipple and accommodates the baby’s natural tongue thrust. This motion is similar to the one when the baby pulls milk from the mother’s natural breast. The nipple tip is flatter and square-shaped. 

The non – orthodontic design is the older design with a bubble tip.

Research suggests that Orthodontic designs are best as they do not alter the shape of the baby’s dental arch/ridge.

Do pacifiers help in relieving pain?

The American Academy of Paediatrics lists pacifiers as one of the key methods to relieve pain in infants younger than 3 months of age during minor procedures in the emergency department. Also, pacifier use has been recommended to relieve a crying baby during the following procedures: catheterization, circumcision, heel sticks, immunizations, insertion of an intravenous line, lumbar puncture, screening for retinopathy of prematurity, and venepuncture.

At what age can the pacifier be used?

Each and every child’s mouth and teeth develop differently. Using pacifiers beyond 2 years of age should be a decision made by the parents by discussing with their Paediatric Dentist or Paediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends discontinuing the use of pacifiers by 3 years of age. After 2 years of pacifier use, noticeable changes can be seen in the dentition. But the use of pacifiers beyond 4 years of age causes negative dental effects like crooked teeth and malocclusion. Also, it is recommended to reduce the use of pacifiers after 10 months of age as it may increase the risk of middle ear infection.

How to keep the pacifiers clean and safe for my baby?

• Till 6 months of age, it is mandatory to boil the pacifier before first use and let it completely cool before putting it in your baby’s mouth.
• After 6 months, you can clean the pacifier with soap and water or in a dishwasher and allow your baby to use it.
• Clean the pacifier with warm water between uses.
• Do not share the pacifier among siblings.
• If the pacifier falls down on the floor, do not put the pacifier in your own mouth to clean it as it causes transmission of infection.
• Replace pacifiers every 1-2 months.
• Immediately change the pacifier after your baby has recovered from an illness such as a cold or flu.
• Carefully inspect the pacifier for holes or any damage. Replace the pacifier at the earliest sign of wear.
• Keep the pacifiers in a clean box to keep it out of the sight of baby to avoid excessive usage of pacifiers.

Recommendations

A few common sense steps should be taken to enhance the benefits and reduce the risks of the use of pacifiers: 

• First, talk to your Pediatric Dentist or Paediatrician about the safe use of pacifiers. 
• Withhold the use of pacifiers until breastfeeding is established. After that, limit their use for soothing breastfed infants. 
• Exercise judgment and restraint for pacifier use. Avoid on-demand use throughout the day. 
• Clean pacifiers routinely and avoid sharing between siblings. Do not lick pacifiers to clean them. Always have several pacifiers to rotate through cycles of cleaning and use during the day. 
• Pacifier use is curtailed beginning at 2 years of age and pacifier habits be discontinued by or before age 4 to minimize the development of malocclusion.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore

A child’s overall dental health is directly proportional to healthy teeth and gums. Hence it is recommended that all necessary measures have to be taken to prevent tooth decay. Brushing teeth twice a day or flossing teeth is always recommended for every child. Yet there is one more preventive measure that every pediatric dentist recommends which is Topical Fluoride treatment for children.

Fluoride has been and continues to be an important element to prevent the formation of dental cavities and at the same time keep teeth strong and healthy. It is known to fight harmful bacteria and maintain a clean mouth. This fluoride is applied topically in the mouth making teeth cavity resistant

What is topical fluoride treatment?

Topical fluoride treatment is a preventive measure that consists of the use of fluoride agents which are applied to teeth thus reducing the bacterial load and fighting against decay. This topical fluoride can be applied in two major forms

1. Self-applied Topical Fluoride
2. Professionally applied Topical Fluoride
3. Self-applied Topical Fluoride:

Dentists always recommend starting caring for a child’s teeth right from the time when teeth are seen in the mouth. This can be done by using topical fluoride from agents like:

Toothpaste:

Select a toothpaste that has fluoride content and use a rice grain amount of toothpaste for children below 3 years while those who are more than 3 years of age use pea size amount of toothpaste. Encourage children to brush twice a day using a circular motion of brushing.

Mouth rinses:

If your child is above 6 years of age and can rinse and spit, mouth rinses can be given in such a scenario if children are susceptible to decay. Develop a habit of rinsing your mouth with a fluoride-containing mouthwash

Professionally applied Topical Fluoride:

Professionally applied fluoride therapy is an easy process to go for. Dentists have used topical fluoride for a long time to protect the oral health of children and adults, especially for children at greater risk of cavitation. There are several factors that increase the risk of decay in children:

• Poor oral hygiene
• Eating disorders
• Lack of regular professional dental care
• Active orthodontic treatment
• Poor diet
• Dry mouth

All these factors are directly proportional to the increasing decay rate in children. This can be easily prevented using professionally applied topical fluoride therapy. It is a painless and minimum time-taking procedure. The gels are completely safe to be used and give you the desired result if all oral hygiene measures are followed thoroughly.

There are few fluoride products that are concentrated and need not be applied frequently. Such agents are only applied by a dental professional. A few professionally applied fluoride products include:

Mouth rinses, Gels, or Foams:

Children who are at high risk for dental cavities require multiple treatments and are generally recommended for agents like Fluoride foam or fluoride gel application.  These gels are loaded in trays and placed in children’s mouths for a minute. Children are asked to bite so that the gel reaches all corners of their teeth. This fluoride forms a protective layer over teeth and hence provides protection.

The only disadvantage of using gels or foams is that children might not like the consistency and have a tendency to gag. These gels are available in various flavors to make them comfortable for kids.

Varnish application:

Fluoride varnish is a concentrated form of topical fluoride which is applied to teeth by a dental professional. It is highly effective in reducing the decay load. This is an easier technique compared to the gel application. Varnish comes in form of a viscous paste that is applied to teeth using a brush. It is like painting the teeth with varnish. It doesn’t cause any gag and is available in multiple flavors which give children an option to choose.

Once applied children are recommended not to eat anything or drink for some time so that fluoride can form a protective layer on teeth by its reaction with teeth. This application process is recommended to be done every 6 months to protect the teeth from decay.

When should kids get Topical fluoride treatment?

Generally, fluoride application is recommended twice a year, unless your kid has a high decay rate it might be recommended every 3 months too. At the child’s first dental visit, which should be by age of one, we will discuss your child’s fluoride intake and determine when it will be beneficial to begin fluoride treatment. Although fluoride is most crucial while teeth are developing, it is also effective in adults. That is why many people opt to go for fluoride treatment throughout life.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore