Pediatric Dentistry

What Is Pediatric Dentistry, and Why Does Your Child Need a Specialist?

Pediatric dentistry is an age-specific specialty committed solely to the dental health of infants, children, and adolescents, including individuals with special healthcare needs. The specialty goes beyond general dentistry, including two or three years of intensive post-doctoral education. At this stage, pediatric dentists explore child psychology, growth and development, pharmacology, and innovative treatment methods for dental trauma and medically complex children. This thorough training can prepare them to deal with young patients’ unique physiological and psychological needs, work with them, and create a positive impression of visiting a dentist at an early age.

The atmosphere of a pediatric dental office is significantly different than that of a general practice and is designed to eliminate any nervousness and offer a child-friendly environment. This child-centered approach helps normalize dental visits, reduce anxiety, and promote compliance, which are essential in ensuring effective long-term oral health.

There are several advantages to using a pediatric dentist instead of a general dentist in caring for your child. Specialists are well aware of the developing dentition, typical childhood oral illnesses, and preventative measures related to children. This expertise allows for early identification and treatment of common issues, including cavities and malocclusion, future developmental abnormalities, and other dental problems.

Moreover, they are specifically trained to handle children with special healthcare needs, ensuring that every child receives compassionate and appropriate care regardless of their unique circumstances. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) firmly supports this form of special care, as the unique nature of pediatric patients and the benefits of building a dental home with a pediatric specialist are long-term.

When to Take Your Child to the Dentist and What to Expect

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends scheduling your child’s first dental visit by their first birthday, or even earlier when the first tooth appears. This is not a formality as it may seem, but a preventative step that is essential since it introduces the child to the importance of dental care at an early age. Taking your child to the dentist early provides valuable guidance on:

• Caring for your child’s oral health
• Foods that may affect their teeth
• How to prevent the occurrence of early childhood caries

By doing so, it will be possible to detect any potential complications before they become serious and establish a lifetime of healthy smiles.

As a parent, you can expect a gentle, informative experience, a technique known as the lap-to-lap exam, when you bring your child to see a dentist for the first time.

In this relaxed evaluation, the child sits on your lap facing you with the dentist or hygienist seated across from the child, which enables the dentist or hygienist to examine his/her mouth easily and without intrusion. The posture gives the child a feeling of security, and the experience is not so threatening. This first visit is not just a check-up. It is the chance for the dentist to educate the parents on issues like how to brush an infant’s teeth properly, the effects of using a pacifier, the use of fluoride, and the development of teeth during teething.

The main aim of this initial visit is not to carry out many procedures but to create a good and trusting relationship between your child, your family, and the dental team. The visit will be mainly educational and comforting, eliminating any fears you may have of your child having a bad experience when it comes to the dentist. The dentist will carefully assess your child’s gums, developing teeth, and jaw and look for any decay, developmental abnormalities, or other concerns. This first contact is well-planned to be as pleasant and interesting as possible, so your child forms a positive impression of dental visits. This would lead to regular and positive dental visits during childhood.

Common Childhood Dental Issues and Their Solutions

Just as adults, children are susceptible to various dental problems, some peculiar to their developing oral systems. Knowing these common issues will enable you to take action at the right time and ensure your children can have good oral health at a young age. Some of the common dental issues include the following:

Tooth Decay (Cavities)

Tooth decay, or cavities, is children’s most common chronic disease and occurs more frequently than asthma and hay fever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that over 1 in 5 children aged 2 to 5 have tooth decay, an important public health issue.

Teeth are essential to the normal development of speech, effective chewing, and, most importantly, are natural holders of permanent teeth. The premature loss of primary teeth due to decay can cause problems with the spacing and tooth alignment of the permanent dentition, which will require orthodontic treatment in the future.

A mixture of sugary foods and beverages and the naturally occurring mouth bacteria are the major offenders that cause tooth decay. When sugars meet with these bacteria, acids are formed, dissolving the teeth’s enamel, causing demineralization. At first, this wear can be noticed in the form of some subtle white marks on the tooth’s surface, signaling the onset of destruction of the enamel.

Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)

Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is a widespread condition among children, especially at night. This habit may be caused by several factors, such as:

• Discomfort during teething, the movement of teeth during their eruption
• Slight bite problems, and
• Even stress or anxiety

In many children, bruxism is a passing stage that goes away with the natural development of their teeth. This natural development can reduce the grinding as they stabilize their bite.

Although usually temporary, chronic bruxism should not be ignored. Parents must be alert to particular symptoms requiring a dentist visit. These include observing signs of wear on the teeth or teeth appearing flattened or unusually short, and complaints of jaw pain, facial aches, or headaches, especially in the mornings.

When teeth grinding is always painful, when the wear on the milk teeth is very high, or when it starts getting the permanent teeth affected, it is important to consult a pediatric dentist. The dentist can determine the severity and underlying causes and suggest adequate interventions, including custom night guards to protect the teeth.

Recurrent Bad breath (Halitosis)

In children, bad breath, or halitosis, may concern the parents, but simple and easily correctable reasons usually cause it.

• Poor oral hygiene is the most likely suspect, as food debris and bacteria collect on the tongue and between the teeth, causing volatile sulfur compounds that emit a bad smell.
• Dehydration could also cause bad breath because it causes decreased saliva production, which cleans the mouth.
• Eating some foods with a strong odor, like garlic and onions, could cause temporary halitosis.

In addition to these general factors, other possible causes of chronic halitosis require further scrutiny. Mouth breathing can also damage and diminish the ability to clean itself because of chronic mouth breathing, which can result from nasal obstruction or allergies. Large or infected tonsils that can house bacteria and food remnants could also be a source of the odor. Moreover, the post-nasal drip may be caused by sinus infections that create a foul smell.

In other cases, it creates dental problems, such as a cavity that has not been treated, a gum infection, or a foreign body that has become trapped. The best way to solve these issues is to brush and floss better, including tongue scraping, drinking a lot of water, and consulting a dentist or physician if the easy solutions do not help.

Gum Health

It is as important for children as for adults to maintain healthy gums. Gingivitis is the mildest and most prevalent gum disease caused by gum inflammation.

The condition is reversible when cared for properly. The most typical symptoms of gingivitis are the redness, puffiness, or swelling of the gums, and bleeding after brushing or flossing. These causes are related to plaque on the gum line, which causes an inflammatory reaction.

Although severe gum disease, like periodontitis, is uncommon in children, it may be seen in certain situations, especially during adolescence or in children with specific systemic diseases. Periodontitis is an inflammation and infection of the gums that spreads to the underlying bone supporting the teeth. It may result in loosening of the teeth and tooth loss when left untreated. In the case of children, the vast majority of all gum problems are restricted to gingivitis. Prevention is the best remedy for gingivitis as well as more advanced gum conditions, and the best way to prevent these is through daily and careful oral hygiene with an emphasis on proper brushing habits that include reaching the gumline and daily flossing to eliminate plaque and food residues between teeth.

Regular dental visits are also critical to gum health.

Teeth Misalignment (Malocclusion)

Malocclusion, or teeth misalignment, is any abnormality in the ideal bite. This may be in the form of:

• Crowding of teeth
• Excessive spacing
• Overbites, where the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth considerably
• Underbites, where the lower front teeth project out beyond the upper front teeth, and
• Crossbites, where the upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth

These conditions may influence the efficiency of chewing, the development of speech, and facial aesthetics.

These are some of the signs that pediatric dentists are trained to look out for during regular visits. Their experience enables them to evaluate the maturing jaw and tooth relationships before the full eruption of the permanent teeth. Identifying these problems at an early age is important, as they open the door to interceptive orthodontics. The goal of this early treatment method is to influence the direction the jaw grows, provide room to accommodate incoming permanent teeth, eliminate the adverse habits such as thumb sucking, and deal with the developing bite issues.

Interceptive orthodontics may allow treatment at a younger stage, in some cases before the child has any permanent teeth, thus allowing more serious orthodontic issues to be avoided, possibly eliminating the need to conduct more complicated and lengthy treatment during the teenage years.

Preventive Dentistry

The foundation of pediatric oral care is preventive dentistry, which aims to protect children’s teeth against the most widespread problems before they emerge. This preventative measure will significantly reduce the number of invasive and expensive reparative procedures in the future. The most critical elements of this preventive program are dental sealants, professional fluoride applications, and custom-fit mouthguards, which are all critical in safeguarding developing smiles.

Fluoride Application

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that greatly aids the war on tooth decay. Professionally, it is usually used as a varnish or gel and reinforces tooth enamel by encouraging a process known as remineralization. This is done to correct and restore enamel that has been softened by the acids formed by bacteria, making the teeth less susceptible to subsequent acid attacks and cavity formation. The safe and effective fluoride treatment is administered professionally in controlled amounts to maximize its therapeutic importance on a child’s developing teeth.

Dental sealants are a protective coating, like a raincoat on the teeth, on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. These molars have deep grooves and fissures, making food particles and bacteria that cause decay easily trapped in them, even though they are effectively brushed. The process of dental sealants is painless and takes only a few minutes, covering these vulnerable regions with a thin layer of plastic. This forms a smooth surface that is effective in sealing off bacteria and food debris, thus avoiding the formation of cavities in such susceptible areas.

Mouthguards protect children’s teeth in sports or other recreational activities. Although generic, store-bought mouthguards offer a certain degree of protection, custom-fitted mouthguards made by a pediatric dentist provide greater protection. Custom guards are fabricated from impressions of a child’s teeth and fit very well and comfortably. This customized design enables the mouthguard to serve as a good shock absorber. This spreads the contact forces off the teeth, gums, and jaw, making it much less likely to get chipped or knocked-out teeth and soft tissue injuries, and even concussions. Improved comfort of a molded fit will also help to ensure regular use of a guard during sports.

How You Should Respond to Your Child’s Emergencies

Child dental emergencies may be alarming to a child and a parent and may need urgent care. Awareness of how to respond quickly and adequately can also make a tremendous difference, as it may help save a tooth or avoid additional issues. A clear, actionable plan is necessary in these stressful situations.

Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth

With a knocked-out permanent tooth, time is of the essence. Find the tooth, pick it up by the crown (the chewing part), and do not touch the root. Clean it by wiping it or scrubbing it with water if it is dirty. Re-implanting the tooth in the socket at once is the most significant opportunity for re-implantation.

If that is not possible, store the tooth in a receptacle of milk, saline solution, or the child’s saliva. Do not wait. Call your pediatric dentist as soon as possible, because the sooner, the better. The chances of reimplantation are highest within 30 minutes to 1 hour of the injury.

Chipped or Fractured Tooth

When a tooth has been chipped or fractured, the situation is not as urgent as a knocked-out tooth, but it is still recommended that a professional assessment be conducted as soon as possible. Start by washing the child using warm water to clear the area. Press softly with a clean bit of gauze in case of any bleeding. Pick up any pieces of broken teeth, which could be reattached.

Although a chipped tooth may not cause pain, the exposed dentin or pulp may be sensitive to hot, cold, or pressure. Call your pediatric dentist and make sure to have a quick appointment. With immediate treatment, the damage, as well as infection or heightened sensitivity, can be avoided.

Toothache

A toothache in a child may be a sign of many problems, and it can be a deep cavity or an infection. Wash the child with warm water to relieve the pain, and carefully floss around the affected tooth to eliminate entrapped food debris. An ice pack on the external surface of the cheek may minimize the swelling and pain. Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever as directed can help temporarily, too.

Nevertheless, these are only temporary solutions. A chronic or extreme toothache requires an urgent call to your child’s dentist to be diagnosed and treated accordingly because untreated infections may spread and lead to further health complications.

Find a Pediatric Dentist Near Me

The early focus on your child’s dental health is an investment in their general well-being, as it will result in a beautiful smile, confidence, and normal development. With dental care such as fluoride and sealants and skilled attention to typical issues and crises, pediatric dentistry provides specialized dental care designed to treat young, developing mouths. Selecting the pediatric dental specialist guarantees your child will be treated with sensitivity and age consideration in a setting that is comfortable to him or her.

Give your child a lifetime of healthy smiles. Make an appointment with Calabasas Smiles Advanced Dentistry now and see how the difference in pediatric care can change your visit. Call us at 818-878-7300 if you need pediatric services in Calabasas.