It’ s Your Smile
Your Child’ s Teeth
By Dr. Jernell Escobar
Dr. Escobar has been practicing dentistry in the Bay Area since 2006. She took over Dr. Palmerlee’ s practice when he retired in 2012. She is passionate about providing exceptional oral health care in a patient centered environment. Dr. Escobar participates in continuing education seminars with other leading clinicians in exploring new and innovative methods and materials for restoring smiles.
One of the most frequently asked questions by parents in my practice is,“ When should I take my child to the dentist?” In this article, we will address when to initiate dental care for your child and discuss milestones in your child’ s treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that a child’ s first trip to the dentist should occur shortly after the appearance of their first tooth and no later than their first birthday. Often, the follow up question is,“ why would I take my child to the dentist at such a young age?” The first visit to the dental office does not involve cleaning the child’ s teeth. It is important to introduce your child to their new“ dental home” to familiarize them with the environment. The appointment begins with a brief check of the oral cavity. This exam can tell the dentist a lot about a child’ s development and health. It is possible to observe chromosomal abnormalities and health problems that can manifest themselves in the teeth and gums. Second, it is especially important for first-time parents to become educated about how to take care of the teeth of the newest members of their family. The dentist can give guidelines as well as cleaning demonstrations so that you can provide the best home care for your child. In addition, the dentist can give some practical advice that could potentially prevent costly and painful dental procedures. One example of this is the prevention of“ baby bottle rot.” Many parents find that a great way to pacify a child is to send them to bed with a bottle of milk. Over time, this graduates to juice and in some circumstances soda. The constant contact of sweet liquid on the teeth can lead to rampant tooth decay. During the first visit, the dentist will also make a recommendation as to how frequent subsequent dental visits should occur.
Pediatric dental visits are also an important time to talk about other topics such as fluoridation. Fluoride can be a touchy subject for some. However, if it is your intention to give your child fluoride, then the time frame as well as the dosage is important. Frequently, the pediatrician prescribes oral fluoride in conjunction with a multivitamin. However, there are things to consider that the pediatrician may or may not take into account. It is important to determine whether or not your child is receiving any fluoride from their municipal water source and if so how much. Once this determination is made, the correct dosage can be prescribed. This is very important because too much fluoride can be deleterious to teeth.
The next milestone in your child’ s dental care will be their first dental cleaning. This should occur between two and three years of age. At this visit, the child is introduced to the variety of instruments and equipment at the dental office. The instrumentation is referred to by clever names and the children are encouraged to play with them to see how they work. The oral exam conducted at the cleaning will be a time to review how well the home care is progressing and to point out areas that could use improvement.
Around the age of five, the dentist will recommend that your child have their first set of dental radiographs. The purpose of the radiographs is twofold. First, the dentist is screening for cavities and infection that may be developing that are not visible during an examination. This is especially true of cavities that originate in between teeth. Second, the dentist is checking for the presence and to monitor the development of the incoming adult teeth. It is important to identify congenital problems, such as missing teeth, so that you and your dentist can be proactive about how to plan appropriately to repair or replace these teeth. If your child has required radiographs prior to this time frame, they likely have suffered some kind of dental trauma or infection.
Between the ages of six and eight, your child has likely lost some of their baby teeth and the adult teeth are beginning to make an appearance. This is a crucial time to evaluate the incoming position of the adult teeth and to do a comprehensive orthodontic evaluation. It is important because if the child is found to be deficient, early orthodontic intervention can mean avoiding costly procedures to correct a severe malocclusion. Also, around this time, the first adult molars have come in to view. At this point, your dentist may talk to you about sealing the top and side surfaces of the molars. This is done to protect the pits and fissures that are part of normal tooth anatomy and to prevent them from accumulating food and plaque. This should help to prevent the onset of cavities in those teeth.
In conclusion, it is crucial that your child’ s first dental experiences be positive as well as instructive. It is important that your child develops a trusting relationship with your family dentist so that routine care is straightforward and lessens the likelihood that your child will develop dental anxiety in the future.
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G M H T O D A Y M A G A Z I N E MARCH / APRIL 2015 gmhtoday. com