What is pedodontics? Who is a Pedodontist ?
Pedodontics, also known as pediatric dentistry, is the part of dentistry related to children. The pedodontist is the dentist who specializes in this department.
Why should I take my child to the pedodontist?
Deciduous teeth settle first in the mouth when you're a baby and when the time comes, the deciduous teeth exfoliate and leave their places to the permanent teeth. In order for this change to take place in a healthy way, deciduous teeth should be found in the mouth without caries until the exfoliation. A pedodontist examination is recommended twice a year for any caries detection in our children's teeth or for examination of oral and dental health.
When should I first take my child to the pedodontist?
Unless otherwise encountered in the mouth, it is recommended to routinely start a pediatric dentist examination with the appearance of the first deciduous teeth in the mouth (at about 5.5 - 6 months old).
When do deciduous teeth exfoliate?
The replacement of the deciduous teeth starts with the replacement of the lower front teeth at the age of about 5.5 - 6 years, and ends with the replacement of the upper canine teeth or the upper second deciduous molars at the age of 12-13.
May caries develop in deciduous teeth? If it happens, why ?
Caries may develop in deciduous teeth, Caries are caused by insufficient brushing and sugar-based nutrition. Children nourishment with Junk Food between meals; frequent consumption of sugary drinks such as cola and fruit juice are among the factors that accelerate the formation of caries. In addition, teeth should be brushed before going to bed at night and before or after breakfast in the morning. If the teeth are not brushed, the sugar taken together with the food will stick to the teeth and cause the formation of caries.
My child is brushing his/her teeth, but he/she still has a caries in his mouth. What could be the reason for this?
Brushing teeth requires using the toothbrush properly and takes approximately two minutes. Children may generally show hasty behaviors about brushing depending on their age or their hand skills may not yet be developed enough to use the toothbrush correctly. Therefore, it is necessary for us to help our children up to 7 -8 years old to brush their teeth. The role of our genetics in caries is another matter. Factors such as the flow rate of saliva, the amount of dental protective components in the content of saliva or the anatomical structure of the tooth are effective genetic factors in caries formation. The fact that our genetics are prone to caries does not indicate that our teeth are doomed to decay. We can prevent this predisposition by paying more attention to the care of our teeth.
What treatments may be applied for caries in my child's mouth?
While it varies according to the size of the caries, filling, root canal treatment or tooth extraction treatments can be applied to the teeth of our children just like adults. When you detect caries in your children's mouth, you can make an appointment with a pedodontist and get more detailed information about your child's oral health and treatment methods.
Will deciduous teeth not change already? Why should we have deciduous teeth made filling or root canal treatments instead of tooth extraction treatment?
The exfoliation time of each deciduous tooth is different from each other. While the replacement of the deciduous incisors at the front is completed at about 8 years old, the replacement of the deciduous molars at the back is completed at about 12 years. Deciduous teeth in the mouth serve as a placeholder for permanent teeth that will come from underneath, as well as they have tasks to help chew and speak. Neighboring teeth will be overturned in place of a deciduous tooth extracted before its time, they will close the place of permanent tooth that will come from underneath in this way, the permanent tooth that will come from underneath will either erupt into the mouth in a crowded manner or it will not be able to erupt into at all and will remain buried in the jaw. In order not to encounter any negative situation such as formation of crowded on the teeth, deciduous teeth should be kept in the mouth until the exfoliation. Therefore, if possible, it is appropriate to perform filling or root canal treatments on caries deciduous teeth.
We had to have my child's deciduous tooth extracted. What can I do now?
Sometimes deciduous teeth may need to be extracted at an early age due to caries or other reasons. Making appliances called space maintainer in order to prevent the location of the deciduous tooth extracted at an early age from being closed by neighboring teeth, prevents the problem of crowding that may be seen in the future.
What is a space maintainer?
A space maintainer is an oral appliance that has fixed or removable models that be replaced instead of deciduous teeth extracted at an early age. Your pediatric dentist will give you detailed information about whether it is appropriate to make a space maintainer for your child or what type of space maintainer should be made.
My child has no caries on his/her teeth. What can I do to protect oral health?
The control of the dentist twice a year is also valid for our children who have a healthy mouth. Routine dentist examination will provide you information about the matters such as detailed examination of our children's mouth, control of deciduous teeth and permanent teeth, their position in the mouth, the change processes of teeth in the mouth. Your dentist will talk about fluoride or fissure sealant treatments to protect your teeth, if appropriate for your child.
What is fissure sealant ?
Fissure sealants are a kind of filling applications that are applied to the grooves on the chewing surface of our teeth, which are anatomically the most prone to decay. Fissure sealants applied to the places that are most prone to decay and the most difficult to clean, prevent the formation of caries by preventing food accumulation in these areas. Fissure sealant applications are not temporary, they are applied fixedly on our teeth just like fillings and can be seen visually.
What is fluorine ?
Fluorine is an element found in various nutrients such as milk, tea, coffee, water and salt, and also in our body. It is also found in toothpastes, as it joins the structure of the teeth and strengthens the teeth against caries. Dentists may apply fluorine gel or fluorine varnish professionally on the teeth according to the state of caries in your child's mouth. Fluorine, which is applied to the teeth at certain intervals, joins the internal structure of teeth by replacing with some materials in the teeth and contributes to the formation of a stronger tooth structure against caries.
Is there any difference between using an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush?
The most important thing to consider when brushing teeth is to make sure that the toothbrush touches the surfaces of all teeth in the mouth. Apart from teeth, tongue, intrabuccal and palate cleaning are also important. Cleaning all these oral areas requires manual labor and time. This can be tiring sometimes for young children. Electric toothbrushes may be considered as a convenience for children as they have an automatic rotation feature, however, the toothbrush should be moved to clean all teeth in the mouth, even if it is automatic. Regardless of the use of manual or automatic toothbrushes, oral cleaning is based on the active cleaning of all areas in the mouth.
Which toothpastes should I use for my child?
At what age our child is, is effective in choosing toothpaste. Usually, it is recommended to use swallowable (fluoride-free) toothpaste for children under the age of 4, since their spit reflex has not yet developed. Any child toothpaste can be recommended to our children who do not swallow toothpaste.