Children deserve special attention regarding care, prevention and the practice of oral hygiene. This is the role of pediatric dentists or pedodontists, whose practice is exclusively reserved for children’s dentistry, from a young age to adolescence. This is a branch of dentistry specializing in the support and care of young children and adolescents and practiced by a pediatric dentist.
Treating Cavities In Baby Teeth
The daily life of a (young) child can be subject to many problems that the pediatric dentist must treat and prevent. Caries on baby teeth are at the top of the main pathologies encountered. The loss or early deterioration of these primary teeth can also cause jaw problems, which are difficult to manage later.
It is important to take care of them, because the child must keep his milk teeth until they are replaced by permanent teeth. These cavities can be caused by prolonged contact with the carbohydrate-rich liquid from the bottle.
Treating Broken Teeth
Broken or cracked teeth are common in children. In addition to the unsightly appearance of these oral and dental traumas, a tooth should not be left broken or cracked, at the risk of compromising the proper implantation of future permanent teeth. The pediatric dentist therefore reconstructs them with a special crown for milk teeth (pedodontic cap).
Raise Awareness About Oral Hygiene
The pediatric dentist also has a fundamental role in treatment, prevention and teaching hygiene in dental care. Because it is in fact from a very young age that gestures and good habits in terms of tooth brushing and appropriate eating are acquired. For example, in the case of young, very fragile permanent teeth, the pediatric dentist may be required to seal the interdental grooves with a protective resin in order to prevent the risk of caries.
Monitor Teeth Formation
The routine practice of the pediatric dentist also includes the detection and correction of maxillofacial anomalies. Its role is therefore to monitor the proper growth of the teeth, their implantation, the condition of the gums and the mouth in general to identify possible anomalies: defective implantation, alignment defects, occlusion, malformation, etc.
With this in mind, it can make parents aware of children’s bad habits such as intensive thumb sucking which can lead to deformation of the teeth and cause swallowing problems.
The pediatric dentist is also interested in the growth of the jaws. In certain cases, preventive orthodontic treatments can be implemented.
A Relationship Of Trust
Consulting a pediatric dentist is a way to take the stress out of dental care from childhood and facilitate oral and dental prevention throughout the child’s life. Educational, attentive, reassuring, the practitioner will be able to establish a relationship of trust with young patients, in order to avoid the development of stomatophobia (fear of the dentist).
Maccaro Smiles experts recommend a first consultation as soon as the first tooth appears and no later than 1 year of age. Then, a visit every six months is recommended to check for early cavities.
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