What If You Could Prevent Childhood Dental Problems?

If you have ever had to explain to a young child that they need a tooth removed or dental fillings, then you will already know it isn’t a pleasant task. So, what if you could prevent dental problems and were able to keep your kid’s teeth strong and healthy? You’d almost certainly jump at the chance, but, there is nothing complicated in preventing dental disease in kids.

With the right preventative dental care from a good pediatric dentist, your child will have a healthy smile. With some dedication from you, there is little reason why your child cannot grow up with healthy and cavity-free teeth. Even if they already have some dental problems, it is never too late to begin a new regime of dental care and this could help to save their adult teeth.

Why Great Dental Care is About More than Just a Healthy Smile

Taking action now could set your child on the right path to enjoy great dental health for life. This not only increases their chances of having a healthy smile and all the benefits that can bring but will help to protect their overall health. One of the most common dental diseases is gum disease, a condition that causes tooth loss.

Gum disease in its advanced stages can increase the risk of general health problems. Advanced gum disease or periodontal disease can increase the risk of developing or of worsening many common health problems. These include rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Making Sure Your Kid Gets the Right Dental Care

Children have very different needs to adults which are why it is always better to take them to a pediatric dental office. A pediatric dentist is the very best person to treat a child. This is because they have spent years completing specialized training enabling them to address the very specific needs of their small patients.

Additionally, a pediatric dental office is equipped in a way that is quite different from a general dental office. It has smaller chairs and child-sized tools to help make the experience more comfortable and much more non-threatening. You’ll also notice that a pediatric dentist relates incredibly well to children.

If your child does need any treatment or when they need any help or tuition about their dental care, a pediatric dentist can provide it in a way that is easy. It will be easy for them to understand and it will be much more enjoyable. The idea is to make learning fun.

Preventative Dental Treatments That Will Help Your Kid

Good preventative dental care begins with a checkup. During a checkup, your kid’s mouth will be carefully but gently examined for any signs of disease. The dentist is also looking at the way your child’s teeth and jaws are developing. These problems can be caused if your kid has any oral habits such as a finger or thumb sucking or if they are a mouth breather.

These habits can affect the development of their teeth and jaws and sometimes early orthodontic treatment can be useful. Based on the results of your child’s very first checkup, your dentist will provide a customized prevention plan. This shows how frequently your child should visit their dental office.

It also shows details of any other treatments they think will help keep their teeth and gums healthy and strong. Most children will need six monthly checkups but if your kid has any ongoing dental problems then they may benefit from more frequent visits. At every checkup, it’s worth getting your child’s teeth professionally cleaned.

Prophylaxis and Why It Will Help Your Kid

If you regularly visit a dentist, then it’s likely you have your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year. This is to remove any hardened plaque or tartar from teeth which help keep your teeth and gums in great shape. Prophylaxis reduces the risk of gum disease and tooth decay and your kid needs regular professional dental cleanings for exactly the same reasons as you.

During this appointment, it’s also possible for the hygienist to identify any areas your child might be missing whenever they brush or floss their teeth. This will allow your dentist to provide personalized oral hygiene instructions to help your child brush in the most effective way possible. If they do need any tuition on how to brush and floss then you can be sure it will be done in a way that is entertaining and fun.

Treatments to Protect Their Teeth

Regular brushing and flossing will do a lot to keep your child’s teeth healthy and strong. There are treatments that can help provide a little more protection.

Fluoride Varnish

Fluoride is a great way to protect young teeth as it helps to harden tooth enamel, reducing the risk of cavities. Your pediatric dentist can apply fluoride topically to tooth surfaces in the form of a varnish. 

This is a quick and painless treatment as the varnish is simply painted onto newly cleaned teeth.

It must be left in place for several hours or even overnight before your child can brush it off. During this time, they will still be able to eat and drink normally.

Dental Sealants

Back teeth are often prone to developing cavities and if you look at them you will see why. The chewing surfaces have lots of grooves and fissures that are quite tricky to keep clean and which can easily trap food and bacteria. Dental sealants are a fantastic way to protect these surfaces and are generally applied to a child’s adult back teeth soon after they emerge.

This includes the molars and premolars. It’s essential to do this treatment at this stage because dental sealants can only be applied to teeth that do not have cavities or fillings or any signs of decay. Treatment is every bit as painless as fluoride varnish. Firstly, the tooth surface is lightly etched before the etching liquid is washed off in the tooth is dried.

The dental sealant is then painted onto the tooth surface where it soon hardens or it can be hardened with an ultraviolet light. This creates a thin, durable yet nearly invisible smooth film over the tooth surface. Treatment makes it easier to keep teeth clean and it doesn’t interfere with their bite.

All these treatments will help keep your kid’s teeth in great shape. You will also find your pediatric dentist can offer lots of advice and information about children’s dental care. They can even talk to you about their dietary needs and how particular diet choices can influence their dental health.

With the right kind of dental care, there is no reason why your child shouldn’t enjoy great dental health for life.

Wisdom Teeth: Do Yours Need to Come Out?

Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars that can often cause significant problems for their owners. Wisdom teeth typically come through during the late teens or early 20s and although some people will find their arrival is uneventful, it certainly isn’t the case for everybody.

The main issue with wisdom teeth is that they come through into a jaw where all the rest of the teeth are already firmly established. Often there is simply not enough room for these teeth to come through correctly aligned and without affecting your existing teeth. This means that wisdom teeth can become stuck or impacted underneath other teeth.

Sometimes they will partially erupt remaining partly covered by the gum tissue. Partial tooth eruption brings about its own particular set of problems as a partially covered tooth can be tricky to keep clean, trapping bacteria and food which increases the risk of infection and decay.

The situation is made worse by the position of wisdom teeth right at the back of the mouth where they are already difficult to brush and floss thoroughly. It’s also possible for wisdom teeth to try to erupt sideways through the gums.

How Can I Tell If I Have Wisdom Teeth or If They Are Going to Cause Problems?

If you visit your dentist regularly then they will have kept a close eye on the development of your wisdom teeth. All dentists periodically take dental x-rays as a way of assessing your overall dental health and to see any problems that may be occurring beneath the gums which include the positioning of your wisdom teeth.

If your dentist can see your wisdom teeth are improperly aligned, they may recommend you have them extracted before problems can develop. Alternatively, they may choose to wait and see rather than to immediately suggest their removal.

However, if your dentist has told you there is no hope of your wisdom teeth coming through properly it’s worth getting them removed sooner rather than later. It is easier for dentists to remove wisdom teeth in younger people where the tooth roots are not yet fully developed and where the jawbone isn’t quite so dense or has become bonded onto the tooth.

Can My Dentist Remove My Wisdom Teeth?

If your wisdom tooth removal is likely to be very straightforward then your dentist can almost certainly carry out this oral surgery for you. However, if your wisdom tooth is firmly embedded underneath another tooth or in the jawbone, your dentist may choose to refer you to an oral surgeon for a proper evaluation.

An oral surgeon will be highly experienced in removing wisdom teeth and can do it quickly and hopefully quite comfortably.

Often a wisdom tooth that is tricky to remove will be extracted in several pieces as this minimizes the opening that needs to be made into the jawbone and in your gums so healing is quicker.

What to Expect during Wisdom Tooth Removal?

Whether your wisdom teeth are to be removed by your general dentist or by an oral surgeon, you can rest assured that your tooth will be properly numbed so you will not feel a thing. If all four wisdom teeth are to be removed at the same time, and if the procedure is likely to be at all complex your dentist or surgeon may recommend additional sedation to ensure the process is as comfortable as possible.

The actual length of this oral surgery will depend on the degree of difficulty of the extraction. Afterwards, you will be given plenty of advice on how to care for the extraction sites and how to deal with any side effects.

What to Expect during Healing?

It’s quite possible that the extraction sites may bleed for a while after surgery. It’s likely your dentist or oral surgeon will have supplied you with plenty of gauze pads that can be placed over the empty socket while you bite down firmly as the pressure will help to stop the bleeding. An alternative is to use a moist teabag as the tannins in tea help to form blood clots.

If the bleeding continues or is very heavy, you should always contact your dental practice or your oral surgeon for more advice. Ideally, a blood clot will form in the empty socket which protects it and begins the healing process. It’s important to avoid dislodging this blood clot so don’t smoke and avoid any sucking actions such as drinking through a straw.

Any facial swelling can be topically treated with an ice pack applied to the outside of your face during the first 24 hours. Place the ice pack onto your face for 20 minutes and then remove for another 20 minutes before repeating as necessary. After the first 24 hours, you may find it more comfortable to switch to a moist heat pack.

Discomfort should be controlled with over-the-counter painkillers or you can always ask your dentist to prescribe something for you. Although you will need to avoid the extraction sites as they heal, it’s important to continue brushing your teeth but avoid using commercial mouthwashes as these could irritate the empty sockets.

Is There Anything That Can Go Wrong during Wisdom Teeth Removal?

This procedure is very routine so it’s unlikely that anything will go wrong during the surgical procedure. Afterward, it is possible that a tiny percentage of people who have had their wisdom teeth removed will develop a condition called dry socket during the healing process. This is where the blood clot protecting the empty socket somehow becomes dislodged, allowing the socket to become infected.

You will soon know if you have this condition because the empty socket will begin to become uncomfortable and painful a couple of days after surgery. If you do develop a dry socket, then the empty socket will need to be cleaned and packed by your dentist to remove the infection. Dry socket isn’t serious but it can slow down healing.

Most people will find healing is completely uneventful after having their wisdom teeth removed and after the first week or two, their mouth should feel reasonably comfortable around the extraction site. You will find your dentist can answer all your questions during your initial consultation for this oral surgery and of course you can always contact your dental practice with any concerns before, during or after your treatment.