Regular Visits

The AAPD encourages parents and other health care providers to help every child establish a dental home by 12 months of age. This provides time-critical opportunities to implement preventive health practices and reduce the child's risk of preventable dental/oral dental diseases. The periodicity of reappointment is based upon risk assessment. Most children require routine visits at 6 month intervals.

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Oral Hygiene and Diet

Daily brushing of your child's teeth should begin as soon as the first tooth erupts. A pea size amount of fluoride toothpaste should be used until the child is old enough not to swallow it. The child should have assistance with their brushing one of the two times daily until they are 9 years of age to ensure thoroughness. Plaque should be removed from the inner, outer, and chewing surfaces. The brush should be placed at a 45 degree angle, using circular motions at the gumline. The tongue also needs to be brushed to help freshen breath and remove bacteria. Power toothbrushes are very effective and sometimes are superior in plaque removal and massaging gums. Flossing is essential to remove cavity producing bacteria from between two teeth that touch. Wrapping a piece around your fingers or using a preloaded flosser with a handle are equally successful and a matter of personal preference.

Nutrition also plays a large role in your dental health, requiring intelligent food choices and good timing. A balanced diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables, moderate portions of protein, complex carbohydrates like whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and unsaturated vegetable fats. However, some foods should be kept to a minimum. Eating too many sweets, foods that stick to your teeth (like chips, dried fruit, or gummy snacks), and foods that dissolve slowly in the mouth (like hard candies and granola bars) encourage tooth decay. Also, soft drinks are one of the biggest sources of refined sugar in the American diet, thus making them one of the main contributors to tooth decay. A twelve-ounce can of soda contains about 12 teaspoons of sugar, along with phosphoric and citric acids, which erode the enamel of your teeth. Frequency of eating or snacking should also be considered. Each time a sugary or starchy food is eaten, the bacteria in the mouth feast upon it and in turn produce acids that attack your teeth for 20 minutes or more. Therefore, between meal snacking should be limited to twice a day for optimal dental health.

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Dental Radiographs

Radiographs are necessary to complete your child's dental diagnosis. After individual examination, the dentist will make a recommendation based upon your child's specific needs. Our office uses digital radiography which is so sensitive that the amount of x-ray radiation is up to 80% less than conventional x-rays. Computerized equipment and software expose a small plate that feeds the image into the computer, providing a large, easy-to-view image on a computer monitor within moments. Digital technology enables us to provide a safe and more efficient diagnosis and treatment.

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Fluoride

Fluoride has many benefits for children. In fact, fluoridation of public water systems can reduce cavities in baby teeth by 60 percent and those in permanent teeth by 39 percent. When children are young and their teeth are forming, fluoride joins with the enamel surface to make it harder and more resistant to decay. We recommend fluoride toothpaste with the ADA seal of approval for all of our patients. However, the amount used with younger children who cannot expectorate (spit) should be limited to the size of a pea. We may also recommend additional sources of fluoride for you to use at home. This includes fluoride drops, tablets, or prescription toothpaste. Fluoride is also applied to the teeth immediately following a dental cleaning in our office. There will also be a discussion concerning the quality of water consumed in your home in order to guide you to the lifetime benefit which fluoride can offer.

Fluoride is an important part of every prevention program. When combined with the good dental habits of brushing and flossing, the number of cavities in children can be dramatically reduced.

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Sealants

Sealants are a clear or white plastic placed especially in the pitted or grooved surfaces of the back teeth. They can be applied in one visit comfortably. The tooth is cleaned, conditioned, and dried. Then the sealant is placed onto the grooves of the tooth and hardened immediately with a special light. Your child may eat normally before and after the appointment. Even the most careful brushing and flossing cannot always remove the food and bacteria that build up in those crevices, and this creates opportunities for tooth decay.

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Normal Eruption Grid

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Importance of Primary Teeth

The primary (baby) teeth are of major importance to the child's appearance, chewing ability, speech development, and eruption guidance for the permanent teeth. Early prevention and treatment for the maintenance of oral health during the childhood years will assure the preservation of the permanent dentition.

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Mouth Guard

The mouth guard is designed to protect your teeth. It should be worn during any sports activity such as football, baseball, basketball, etc. When a mouth guard is not used, accidents can happen in which a child is hit in the mouth and a front tooth is injured.

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Caries Risk Assessment & Caries Risk Test

Caries Risk Assessment is an essential element of the new patient visit. During this interview, questions regarding dietary practices, fluoride exposure, oral hygiene, utilization of dental services, and the caries experience of the primary care provider will predict the decay potential of the child.

Caries Risk Test is a comprehensive quantification of the two types of bacteria that cause dental caries. This analysis allows the recognition of caries risk at an early stage. This test is easy to complete and the results are available in 48 hours.

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Oral Habits

It is quite common for children to form oral habits such as sucking on pacifiers, thumbs or fingers, or chewing on blankets, pens, or pencils. If the habit is done repeatedly or for long periods of time, abnormal formation of the upper and/or lower arches can occur. Some children can stop these habits on their own, but other children may need help in order to discontinue their habit. If you are concerned about the effects your child's habit is having on his/her mouth, contact your pediatric dentist at your child's next cleaning and check up appointment. He/she can offer different options, some evasive and non-evasive, to help put an end to these habits.

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AAPD Recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry is the membership organization representing the specialty of Pediatric Dentistry. Pediatric Dentists serve as primary care providers for millions of children from infancy through adolescence. The AAPD guidelines are available online at www.aapd.org.

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