A Dentist For Your Little One

Your little one’s tooth becoming loose for the first time is a huge milestone in their lives. It is also exciting for them because they are waiting for a visit from the tooth fairy and the gift! For parents, it’s a sign that their kids are growing up! It’s a moment to cherish for a lifetime. But at times when your child’s baby teeth are hanging on for too long, parents are bound to get worried thinking something might not be quite right.

Timeline Of Baby Teeth

On average a baby’s first set of teeth begins to show at around 6 months of age. By the age of 3 years, your baby has about 22 cute little pearly whites. Then they start falling from the age of 5 to 7 years, usually, in the order that they grew in. Here is the average age-wise order in which baby teeth fall out: 

6 years – The upper and lower incisors 

7 years – The upper and lower lateral incisors 

10 years – The upper molars and lower canines 

11 years – The lower molars fall out

12 years – The upper canines and lower molars 

Sometimes baby teeth don’t fall out 

Losing baby teeth is a process. It is nature’s way to makes room for adult teeth. The dissolving of the root of the baby tooth causes the tooth to become extremely loose and eventually to fall out. This makes space for the permanent tooth to grow. Parents usually get very anxious when their baby’s teeth don’t fall out when they normally should. In some kids, it is also seen that permanent teeth begin to erupt even before the baby tooth has fallen out. Dentists call them “shark’s teeth.” But worry not, nothing is wrong with your precious little one, He just needs some guidance from a dentist. If you are facing any of the above, it is ideal you consult the team at Prodental Care. We would assess your child’s case by taking dental X-rays and conducting an oral examination and ensure your child gets the best possible dental care at the bestpaediatric dentist in Surat!

Visiting A Paediatric Dentist Near Me When Things Are Normal

Often parents take their children’s oral health for granted. The thought of visiting a dentist doesn’t cross their minds unless they notice an abnormality. But the right thing to do is meeting a paediatricdentist near meas soon as children start getting their baby teeth.

The Importance of Primary Teeth

The thought that baby teeth do not matter is a very common misconception. Although baby teeth would eventually fall out, they still need regular check-ups and guidance from reputed dentists, like at the Prodental Care team. What people miss to understand is those baby teeth are essential for the proper development of speech and facial structure. They are preparation your body makes for the smooth welcoming of adult teeth. Kids who receive proper dental care at best dental clinic duringthe baby teeth phase are less at risk of plaque build-up and cavities later in life. A dental visit can also help parents learn the proper way of brushing the child’s baby teeth, the kind of toothbrush and toothpaste to be used. Getting the proper guidance from a dentist ensures impeccable oral health for your child. 

Your Child’s First Dentist Appointment

Ideally, a child’s first dental appointment should happen soon after the child’s first tooth pops out, or at 1 year of age. In the first visit, a dentist would assess the child’s teeth and mouth structure. Such a visit also helps the child to get familiarized with the concept of visiting a dentist’s clinic. Such visits enforce in the child’s mind the importance of dental health and regular dental cleanings. From here on, it is recommended your child is seen by a dentist every six months, or when he is facing an oral issue.

We at ProdentalCare are looking forward to helping you and your entire family achieve excellent oral health!

Is Milk Good For Your Little One’s Teeth?

Just like a carrot is good for improving vision and spinach gives you strength, milk is good for your child’s teeth. This is because it’s an excellent source of calcium, and calcium strengthens the teeth and bones. 

The notion that milk can cause tooth decay is a wrong one. In fact, all dairy products are rich in minerals that can help in reducing tooth decay and strengthen the enamel. 

But yes, good calcium intake cannot be treated as an excuse for poor dental care. Establishing a healthy dental routine for your child as soon as his first teeth pop up is vital. Contact the team at Prodental Care to know how!

Connection Between Diet AndDental Health

The food we consume has an important contribution to make towards the health of our teeth.

Tooth demineralization All of us have heard enough on how sugar is bad for teeth. But did you realize a lot of food we consume on a regular basis are high on sugar content, yet go unnoticed?

Tooth demineralization refers to losing a significant amount of minerals over a period of time. Sugary food feed bacteria that produce acid, responsible for breaking down the protective enamel covering over the tooth. And this leads to cavities.

Teeth staining Consuming too much of dark-colored cola, tea, coffee can stain teeth.

Sensitivity Tooth sensitivity is the tingling feeling you get on the consumption of hot or cold things. This happens due to weakened tooth enamel.

So as a parent the best thing you could do for your children is to take care and educate your child about food habits that are harmful for their teeth!

Teeth Grinding In Children

Children often clench or grind their teeth. Such behaviour is related to anxiety, stress, or feeling nervous. The medical term for the same is Bruxism.

Some symptoms of Bruxism include-

  • Frequent headaches and earaches 
  • Sore/ stiff jaws 
  • Pain or difficulty chewing
  • Chattering or grinding in sleep 
  • Kids showing fear of going to bed
  • Involuntary mouth movements during day to day activities like reading, watching TV, etc, or when the child is tensed or worried

 

Often Bruxism isn’t easy to spot by normal people, but cannot escape the eyes of our well-trained dentists at Prodental Care.

What are the causes of teeth grinding?

The causes of bruxism are unique in each case. 

  • Sometimes teeth clenching is a mechanism to ease pain by encouraging the release of endorphins.
  • At times it is associated with response to anxiety or nervousness, just like in the case of nail-biting. 
  • Even misaligned teeth could lead your precious little one to teeth clenching.
  • In some kids teeth grinding happens during sleep.
  • Most of the time, it is just an unconscious activity done by kids.
Effects of bruxism

Unattended bruxism in young patients could leave long-term effects like

  • Higher risk for TMJ 
  • Worn-out enamel
  • Jaw problems
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Migraines
What we at Prodental Care do

Each case of Bruxism is different and calls for personalized treatment like-

  • Night-timemouth guards 
  • Sealants that can protect tooth enamel
  • Braces if bruxism is due to alignment issues
  • Or if required we would even suggest you little one therapy or counselling.

So ensure you bring your little one to for regular dental check-upsat the bestpaediatric dentist in Surat, so that we can help you with the best possible treatment options!

Shark Teeth

Did you know sharks’ have 5 to 15 rows of teeth per jaw!

Sometimes children develop adult teeth even without the primary tooth falling out, creating a dual row of teeth. Such teeth are referred to as ‘shark teeth’

‘Shark teeth’ can occur in upper incisors, molars, but are most common in lower incisors. They can erupt anytime from 6 to 12 years.Not all occurrences of shark teeth need to be treated, as most of the time the primary teeth become loose and fall out. But when this doesn’t happen, dentists suggest the extraction of the baby teeth.

An issue with shark teeth is that they can deflect the correct position of the adult teeth, which would require an orthodontic process in the near future. Ensuring dental visits at best dental clinicfor your little one every six months can help you understand the best possible solutions for any kind of dental issues your child might be having!

Paediatric Partials

Missing tooth definitely make a child look cute. They even cause them to lisp their conversations. But premature tooth loss can affect their smiles, and also their confidence!

Paediatric Partials are artificial devices that temporarily replace the child’s missing baby teeth. Benefits of opting for paediatric partials include-

  • Restore the normal look and normal mouth structure
  • Retain normal functionality of the mouth
  • Preventing adjacent healthy teeth to drift out of place
  • Promote normal speech

Such paediatric partial are fastened to your child’s existing teeth and are removed ones the permanent teeth begin to erupt.

Care for partials– Paediatric partials call for the same care your baby’s teeth demand- brushing 2 times a day, and other good dental habits!

Dental Sealant

The latest development in paediatric dental studies proves that sealing out cavities is a better option than the traditional one of filling them. Dental sealants also work as a preventive treatment against tooth decay and dental cavities.

We at Prodental Care recommend dental sealants to children found to be prone to getting cavities. With dental sealants, a protective cover is placed on the baby’s tooth, mostly in hard to reach out in the regular cleaning process places like the permanent molars. This seal covers depressions and grooves on the plaque proneteeth, making plague hard to build up. It also works as added protection to the tooth enamel. 

The sealant procedure is a non-invasive short treatment. 

The dental sealant process-

  • Clean the teeth
  • Sedation is optional 
  • Application of acid etches on the tooth, followed by a wash off. 
  • A coating of white-colored resin on the particular tooth to fill the cracks and crannies
  • Laser exposure to harden the resin

How long do dental sealants last? Dental sealants can last up to 10 years when they are taken care of properly with good oral hygiene practices likeBrushing 2 times a day

  • Flossing once a day
  • Limiting consumption of sweets 
  • Not chewing on hard things like ice
  • Bi-annual dental visits
Traumatic Dental Injury

Children are mischievous and love running around. This at times could lead to injuries. The best thing you as a parent should do is prepared with the contact details of professional paediatric dentist near melike our team at Prodental Care. 

Baby teeth trauma

If your child has knocked out one of his baby teeth, you need not worry about re-implanting it. It just calls for short term care. Like, firstly, as soon as the teeth come out take a soft, clean, sanitized washcloth and push it down, applying direct pressure to the gum. Ask your little one to bite it down, gently. This would arrest the bleeding.

Meanwhile arrange to take your child to a dentist who can check for any other injuries if any.

Whenever possible try to store the teeth in a box of milk and take it to the dentist to get it reviewed.

Once at your dentist’s clinic, your child might have to undergo a dental x-ray to ensure the nature of damages. Such an x-ray can check for –

  • Underlying damage to nerves or 
  • The underlying adult tooth or
  • Any remains of broken tooth fragments in the gums.

If your child has just chipped a tooth your dentist might want to fix it to ensure the sharp edges do not hurt the gums or the tongue.

Permanent teeth trauma

Responding quickly in consulting a dentist in case of damage to permanent adult teeth improves the likelihood of saving the tooth and a lot of trouble that it can probably bring.

Ensure you submerge the tooth/ fragments of the tooth in milk till you are able to reach the dentist so that tooth does not dry out. If the tooth is still alive, there are high chances the dentist might be able to fix is back!

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

The risk of baby bottle tooth decay is extremely high in children falling asleep with a milk bottle in their mouth. In fact, even breast milk has natural sugars that could lead your child to tooth decay if the child sleeps immediately after consuming milk.

When your child sleeps immediately after consumption of milk, the milk remains on the surface of the teeth for a couple of hours. This done regularly leaves enough scope for plague to build up!

What you as a parent can do– Try feeding the baby (older than 6 months) a few sips of water immediately after milk so that the water washes the teeth of any milk remains!