IS ROOT CANAL TREATMENT NECESSARY FOR CHILDREN'S TEETH?

When you visit your dentist for your child's decayed teeth, do you wonder why the dentist suggests a "Root Canal Treatment" for your little one?

What is Root Canal Treatment?

When a tooth gets badly decayed, it develops infection within and around its roots. Root Canal Treatment is nothing but cleaning the tooth and its roots from within so as to clear the infection.

Root Canal Treatment saves the natural tooth that would otherwise have been removed!

Is it necessary to do Root Canal Treatment for children's teeth? They are ultimately going to fall!

 

Yes! Root Canal Treatment is absolutely necessary for children's teeth even if they are temporary because:

1. Root canal treatment can cure the infection of milk teeth which may otherwise give pain or swelling to a child.
2. Root canal treatment protects the underlying developing permanent teeth bud from spread of infection.
3. By saving the natural tooth, root canal treatment helps the underlying permanent teeth to come in correct direction.

Root Canal Treatment is thus essential to maintain your child's teeth in absolute health in near and long future.

Still wondering how can a Root Canal Treatment be done in a child when adults are scared of it?
Find the answer in the next blog!  

HOW TO MAINTAIN ORAL HYGIENE FOR BABIES?

Do you know your baby's gums and tongue should be cleaned regularly even before the teeth come?

This will help maintain clean conditions in her mouth right from the beginning and save him/her from developing cavities in future! 
 

A wet "gauze piece" or a soft cloth should be used to very gently rub baby's gums and tongue 2-3 times a day.

 

Many baby's enjoy this "massage" as its very soothing for their sensitive gums, especially when the teeth are going to come!

Knocked out tooth...IT'S AN EMERGENCY!

Do you know Knocked out tooth is an emergency?

A front tooth of a child can be knocked out in accidents, during play, sports, road traffic accidents, falls or fights.

This is an emergency situation since the tooth can be saved only if quick and correct steps are taken.

FIRST 20 MINUTES ARE CRUCIAL AND FIRST 1 HOUR IS THE GOLDEN PERIOD!

Immediate action to be taken to Save the Knocked Out Tooth:

1. Keep calm! Make sure that is an adult tooth. Baby tooth should not be put back in. (If the child is above 7 years then it's an adult tooth).

Call up the dentist to tell you are on your way!

2. Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown (the large white part). DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOT!

3. If the tooth is dirty, wash it briefly for 10 sec with milk or saline solution or cold running water.

4.  Insert the tooth immediately in it's socket and ask the child to bite on a handkerchief for 15-20 min to hold the tooth in position.

5. Rush to the dentist to seek an emergency dental treatment immediately.

PLEASE REMEMBER...

If you cannot insert the tooth back in the socket, store the tooth in child's own saliva or milk (but not water) as you are on your way to the dentist. DO NOT LET THE TOOTH DRY!

Dental Home for children

The ongoing relationship between the dentist and the patient is called “Dental Home.” This means the dental clinic where you take your child regularly for routine check-ups becomes a Dental Home of your child. Just like parents take their children to a Pediatrician’s clinic for routine health check-ups and vaccinations, they should also take their children to a Pediatric Dentist’s clinic for regular dental check-ups so as to prevent dental problems and maintain good oral health.

Establishing a Dental Homefor children has twofold advantage!

 

 

Establish the Dental Home for your child at the earliest, ideally by his/her 1^st birthday!

Early start serves the purpose of the Dental Home most effectively! Early investment of time in short regular dental visits is very effective in preventing development of complicated dental problems in future which then need time consuming treatment.

Dental Home offers comprehensive oral health care for children in continuously accessible, coordinated and family centred way!

The Pediatric Dental Clinic which is also the Dental Home of your child, can be relied upon for excellent oral health care provided to your child in a home-like, child friendly environment. The Pediatric Dentist is your child’s favourite uncle or aunty whom they like visiting!  

Establishing a Dental Home is the first step towards preventive dental care for children. So, do not wait for a toothache to take your children to a dentist; instead find a Pediatric Dental Clinic as your children’s Dental Home and save them from having any toothache!

BEHAVIOR GUIDANCE – Making dental treatment fun for children!

Dental treatment for children seems to be impossible to many parents due to anxiety and fear associated with the dentist. (sometimes parents are more anxious than their children!) Children may remain deprived of good oral and general health because of untreated cavities and other dental problems due to fear of dental treatment.

The pediatric dentists are specially trained in series of techniques called as “Behavior Guidance” that help to not only allay the fear of a child about dentistry but also make the dental treatment enjoyable for children.

“Behavior Guidance” is an art as well as science based on principles of child psychology. The various techniques of Behavior Guidance slowly guide the child through the dental treatment with an educative approach. It starts with introduction of the child to the dental environment followed by performance of simple dental procedures gradually moving towards a more complex ones. 

Here is how it goes...                     

e.g. if a new child patient has to undergo procedure of cleaning cavities, the basic Behavior Guidance techniques are used in following way: 

Children like to be appreciated for good behavior.

A gift as simple as a cartoon sticker also works wonders!

Thus, now no need to get scared of dental treatment for children when Pediatric Dentistry is here to deliver a healthy smile to our little ones!

FLUORIDE and PIT & FISSURE SEALANT – Dentist’s tools for prevention of cavities in children!

Parents play important role in preventing cavities in children by observing healthy dietary habits as well as maintaining proper oral hygiene for their children.

(Refer previous posts For information on diet and oral hygiene maintenance at home).

In addition to this home care, the pediatric dentist can perform certain procedures in the dental clinic that are further very effective in prevention of cavities. These are:

1. Fluoride application

2. Pit & fissure sealant

Fluoride Application

How does it prevent cavities?

Fluoride is absorbed on the tooth surface and makes the tooth enamel stronger and more resistant to decay.

How is it done?

The procedure of fluoride application is very simple. Fluoride is available in a paste form (called as the “fluoride varnish”).

Step 1: The dentist makes tooth surfaces dry with cotton and air flow.

Step 2:  Fluoride paste is applied to all the teeth with a small brush.

Application of fluoride paste to all teeth is a job of 5 – 10 minutes.

The dual protection of Fluoride

Fluoride application treatment should be repeated every 6 months. It provides a long term benefit as the paste contains high concentration of fluoride. This is in addition to the protection provided through daily use of fluoridated toothpaste which contains low concentration of fluoride.

Pit & Fissure Sealant

How does it prevent cavities?

In many children, the chewing surfaces of the newly erupted milk teeth as well as permanent teeth are quite rough or irregular. These irregularities are called as "grooves", “pits” and “fissures”. 

The pits and fissures tend to entrap food particles and bacteria which are difficult to clean even with the finest toothbrush bristles.

 

The action of entrapped bacteria on food particles in these pits and fissures can thus start the decay which can progress to a large cavity.

As the name suggests, the pit & fissure sealant is a paste-like material that seals these irregularities to make the chewing surfaces of molars smooth, thus preventing the food entrapment and hence the cavity formation.

How is it done?     

Pit & fissure sealant application is also a very simple procedure. The material used is a paste that hardens once placed as sealant.

Step 1: The tooth surface is cleaned and dried with cotton and air flow.

Step 2: Sealant paste is filled in pits and fissures.  

This procedure takes 10-15 minutes for each tooth.  

The dual protection of Pit & Fissure Sealant

The sealant material not only blocks the pits and fissures to make the rough tooth surface smooth, but it also contains fluoride that gives added protection against cavity formation.

Added advantage of Fluoride application and Pit & Fissure sealants

In addition to protection from cavities, fluoride application and pit & fissure sealant treatment also help to make the anxious child comfortable in the dental environment owing to the simplicity of procedures. Because these procedures are quick and easy to perform, they help giving a pleasant dental experience to the child in the initial appointments which are crucial in building the child’s positive attitude about dentistry.    

So, get the fluoride application and the pit & fissure sealant treatment done for your child to keep their teeth in healthy and cavity-free condition!   

MAKING DENTAL TREATMENT FUN FOR CHILDREN…PARENTS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE!

Pediatric Treatment Triangle

Dentist-Child-Parents is a three way interaction! Along with the dentist, parents play a major role in dental treatment of children through their upbringing of the child and their own attitude towards dentistry.

There are multiple factors which influence children’s behavior in the dental clinic and in turn their acceptance of dental treatment. Understanding of these factors by parents would aid them in preparing themselves and their child for the dental visit as well as the treatment in a positive manner. `

A child’s acceptance of dental treatment depends on…

How do parents play a crucial role?

Choosing dental clinic for your child… “Pediatric Dental Clinic” is a better place!!!

The dentist' and the dental staff's way of communication, gestures as well as the appearance of the dental clinic can very much influence the child's comfort level.

 A "Pediatric dentist" and his/her staff are specially trained in dealing with children. The child friendly appearance of the "Exclusive Pediatric Dental clinic" helps the child relax and undergo dental treatment in a playful environment.

   (Read more about the Exclusive Pediatric Dental Clinic in the previous post).