FACTS ABOUT CHILDREN’S DENTISTRY THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IN 2023

Children’s or paediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry that deals with children’s oral health from birth to adolescence. This involves preventive dental care, helping kids to develop good oral habits and identification and treatment of dental issues in the initial stages. The main purpose of paediatric dentistry is to maintain children’s oral health as they grow into adults.

The specialised dentist that particularly deals with children’s oral issues is called a paediatric dentist or pedodontist. The main responsibilities of a paediatric dentist are:

  • Oral health exams.
  • Diagnosis and treatment to straighten teeth and minimise oral issues.
  • Teeth cleaning and fluoride treatments.
  • Repairing dental injuries like cracked, fractured, misaligned, or displaced teeth.
  • Gum disease management to prevent periodontal diseases.

Children’s dentistry holds great significance because the sooner children get regular oral checkups, the healthier their mouths will stay throughout their lives, as early checkups prevent cavities and treat existing dental issues in the initial stages before they lead to extreme or persistent pain and turn into severe dental complications. 

WHY IS MAINTAINING CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH NECESSARY?

Children’s oral health is as important as adults’ oral health because poor health can also cause problems in other parts of the body, as bacteria are capable of entering the bloodstream.

So it is really necessary to practice good oral hygiene to prevent all these issues and to minimise the occurrence of infection and tooth decay in children. Moreover, establishing good oral habits at an early age can help people to preserve their oral health throughout their lives.

In addition to taking your children to a pedodontist, you can also provide them with improved oral health by following some simple steps involving:

  • Increase the water intake of your children.
  • Avoid giving your children too many sugary items.
  • Make sure to brush their teeth at least twice a day.
  • Clean every surface of their mouth and try to use fluoride-based toothpaste.

By following these steps, you can effectively improve the oral health of your children and can help them prevent numerous oral problems in the first place.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHILDREN’S DENTISTRY

Children’s dentistry has numerous advantages, as it helps your children to prevent oral issues in the initial stages before they become complex or difficult to treat. Moreover, children’s teeth are more susceptible to damage and losing them at an early age can cause permanent problems and complications to gums and jawbone. Therefore, it is important to take your kids to pedodontists for regular dental checkups in order to avoid all the above-mentioned problems.

Children’s dentistry is very significant and offers multiple benefits, including:

1. CALMER AND HAPPIER KIDS

Paediatric dentists are specially trained to acknowledge and understand the concerns of young patients. Their main goal is to ensure that children are completely comfortable during the treatment process, which makes your kids calmer and happier while visiting their dentist, making the whole oral care process convenient.

2. DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT CHILDREN’S GROWTH AND CHANGES

By providing your children with early oral care, you can develop a better understanding of your children’s growth and changes as a child’s body undergoes many changes from infancy to adolescence.

Their jawbone structure completely transforms during this period, so taking your kids to paediatrics after regular intervals ensures that they receive the best oral care during their childhood and teenage years.

3. INCREASED AWARENESS ABOUT CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH ISSUES

Some teeth-grinding or thumb-sucking habits of children lead to several oral problems in the future, so it is better to address these issues in the initiation to minimise the risks of various oral issues later in life. Peadiatric dentists are well aware of all these habits and help your children get rid of them by coming up with creative solutions.

4. PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF DENTAL ISSUES

Pedodontists are proactive and specially trained in preventing and treating childhood oral issues. These dentists can diagnose and treat cavities and other issues before they cause long-term harm in order to preserve the oral health of your children.

5. EMERGENCY TREATMENTS

Younger children are more likely to encounter incidents that damage their teeth and need emergency treatments. Paediatric dentists are specially trained to deal with all these issues and provide appropriate treatment according to the severity of oral conditions.

Sometimes dentists need to extract the primary teeth if they no longer remain treatable to prevent further complications.

FAQs

WHAT IS THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADULT AND PEDIATRIC’S DENTISTRY?

The main difference between these two branches of dentistry is the preventive care services. For younger patients, paediatric’s dentists are likely to recommend dental sealants and fluoride treatments.

Moreover, dentists use smaller tools for treating children’s oral issues according to their mouth size to minimise complications. 

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON DENTAL TREATMENTS IN PAEDIATRIC’S DENTISTRY?

The most common treatments involved in children’s dentistry are sealants, dental crowns, fillings, dental cleanings, and extractions. During the oral treatment process, dentists first make their younger patients comfortable and calm so that they do not get nervous while getting the treatment, which makes the whole process easier.