BRUSHING TEETH AT NIGHT BEFORE BED - The secret of your child's healthy smile!




Remember, brushing the child's teeth thoroughly is the

PARENT'S JOB!


How a good tooth goes bad?
Bacteria on teeth react with food particles especially sweets to make acids. These acids attack the healthy teeth to make cavities.

Saliva is the savior!
Saliva protects the teeth against cavities by washing away the food particles, the bacteria as well as the acid formed by them.


At night, NO SALIVA = MORE CAVITIES!
Saliva formation is extremely low during sleep. (That's why you find your mouth very dry when you wake up!). Bacteria take this opportunity to form large amounts of acids which are not washed away by saliva and that's how cavities form very fast at night during sleep.

Brushing at night is the most powerful fight!
As tooth brushing before going to bed clears the teeth of all food particles, bacteria and acids, risk of cavities becomes almost nil.


So, begin this healthy habit from tonight for yourself and your child to keep that beautiful smile!
 

 

Managing your child’s Root Canal Treatment

Is Root Canal Treatment necessary in children? Their teeth are anyways temporary!

Root canal treatment is done to cure the infection in the decayed tooth. It is the only remedy to save a natural tooth which would otherwise need to be removed. (Read more about this in the previous blog).

Children not only sustain but also
enjoy dental treatment

Is Root Canal Treatment is painful?

NO! Before root canal treatment, the tooth is made numb by application of local anesthesia. This makes the procedure absolutely PAINLESS!

Can children sustain the root canal treatment?

Most of the children above 3 years can sustain the root canal treatment if they are made comfortable in the dental environment.

Parents themselves play a crucial role in successful root canal treatment of their children.

 

Here are 5 tips for parents …

1. Never express your own fears about going to dentist/root canal treatment etc. in front of your child. Remember your child can be relaxed only if you are relaxed.

 

2. Never use words like “injection”, “pain” or “removing the tooth” in the child’s presence. Never use going to the dentist as a threat or punishment to your child (because he/she eats lot of chocolates or doesn’t brush teeth properly).

 

3. Create a positive picture about dentistry in your child’s mind. Like…describe the dentist as a “friend” who helps to keep the teeth healthy and white.

4. Let your dentist communicate with your child. Give him/her enough time to build rapport with your child.

5. Always choose a “Pediatric Dental Clinic” for your child over a general dental clinic. 




Child friendly environment in a "Pediatric Dental Clinic" makes your child comfortable for dental treatment!

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!