Tag Archives: pediatric dentistry

Sedation Dentistry

What is the Fastest Way to Get Caught Up On My Son’s Dental Care?

My son has never been to the dentist even though he is nine years old. We’ve been broke for so many years. Now my husband has been offered a great job and it even has dental insurance. I am certain my son will need a TON of dental work (as will my husband and myself). What is the easiest and fastest way to catch him up on his needed care without traumatizing him. I remember hating the dentist as a child.

Patricia

Dear Patricia,

Happy girl in pediatric dental chair

I am glad you wrote and I can tell you care about your son! It’s always hard when their first experience with the pediatric dentist is to deal with decay, etc.. Ideally, their first visit is in their toddler years before there is a time for any problems to develop. That way they associate the dentist with fun. However, we realize the ideal is not always possible. You were in that situation, but are still trying to do the best you can for your son.

The good news is he may not need as much work as you think. If his genetics are working in his favor and he’s done a good job keeping up with his oral health care at home, you may just get lucky. I once had a woman who wasn’t ever able to go to the dentist growing up. Her first dental visit was when she married. She came in at twenty five years of age very nervous about what she’d find. Would you believe that woman didn’t have even one cavity! The entire office was amazed. It was a combination of superior oral care at home along with fantastic genetics when it came to her teeth.

The first thing I would recommend, because you do not know what type of shape your son’s teeth are in, is that you go to a pediatric dentist that also offers dental sedation. For his first appointment, you may want to have them use nitrous oxide so that he is relaxed. This is very mild sedation. He can be awake the whole time. Let’s say, however, that at your son’s first check up, they find a bunch of things that need to be worked on. Don’t panic. There is a way to do that without him feeling any pain whatsoever.

There is another type of sedation you can use for his treatment appointments called oral conscious sedation. This will make him very sleepy. In fact, he’ll sleep through the entire appointment which will allow dentists to get more work done during each appointment. This is the fastest way to get him caught up.

I hope this helps you.
This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Affordable Dentistry

Do Affordable Dentists Always Price Gouge?

I haven’t been to the dentist for about three years because of unemployment. I’m still unemployed, but just felt like it’d been too much time and I needed to at least get a cleaning. I specifically looked for an affordable dentist. Yet, when I went there I felt like they nickled and dimed me for everything. Not only did they do the more expensive “deep cleaning” but they charged me for a fluoride treatment, and dental sealants. They’ve also asked me to come back in two weeks. How can I possibly do that after being out so much money today? Is this what I can expect from “affordable” dentists?

Luisa M.

Dear Luisa,

First, it’s impressive that you’re making such an effort to get dental care when you’ve been struggling with unemployment for so long. It shows you care about your oral hygiene. The deep cleaning can be typical, especially if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while. The fluoride treatment is useful, but optional. It helps kill bacteria. However, they should have asked.

One thing that puzzles me is the dental sealants. Those are usually placed on children. And, it is something they should definitely have asked about before placing them. In fact, generally an office goes through any procedure to make sure you understand the charges and agree to them before you start. I’d contest the sealants and fluoride because they didn’t ask.

In future, I’d suggest you still look for affordable dentists, but ahead of time discuss what their payment policy is. Also, be clear with them that you want to approve any extras along with their costs before hand. Be aware that many dentists will let you pay out any necessary expenses to get the treatment you deserve.

The upside to getting the dental sealants is you won’t have to worry about cavities getting into the grooves of your molars.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Bonding, Pediatric Dentistry

Will Snap-On Smile work for my daughter?

My daughter is ten years old and she chipped her front teeth. I was thinking I would wait until she is older before I get these teeth fixed. But I was wondering if Snap-On Smile would work until we moved forward with a permanent fix?

Thanks,

– Gina from Ohio

Gina,

Ten years old is a tricky age because your daughter likely has a mix of permanent teeth and she probably still has some baby teeth. The baby teeth she still has may be a little loose too and her permanent teeth are in the process of erupting. The main issue with choosing the Snap-On Smile for your daughter is the fact that the appliance needs to snap onto her existing teeth. And since her teeth are in such a transitional stage, it isn’t going to work very well.

Dental bonding is safe for children and would be a solution to take care of the chipped teeth. You just need to make sure that she is old enough and willing to sit in a dental chair during the procedure.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related posts: pediatric dentist

Pediatric Dentistry

Should my son get his teeth extracted?

My son is almost two years old and has suffered trauma to his front teeth. They are discolored now and I think it is due to the trauma that occurred. His four teeth in front are a green color and I think the enamel is wearing down. I have tried a multivitamin for him on a daily basis but I don’t think that is doing anything to help. Do you think he will need to have these teeth extracted?

– Laura in Iowa

Laura,

It is difficult to make a recommendation without knowing exactly what caused your son’s trauma to his front teeth.

That said, the discoloration is likely due to bacteria. Sometimes kids can get stains on their teeth and their bodies become accustomed to the various bacteria. It would be good to take your child to a pediatric dentist to have his teeth cleaned. This may help with the green color you are referring to.

It was a good idea to give your child a multivitamin, although since the teeth have already erupted in the mouth it won’t have any positive effect.

What happens when you have trauma to the teeth is that the nerve endings can become severed. If this is the case, then you may need to have the teeth extracted. Although, I would not have them removed unless it is absolutely necessary. Since your son is so young, they are helpful for speech development.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Other links you may be interested in: emergency dentist, affordable dentistry

Pediatric Dentistry

My child’s teeth are in bad shape

My daughter is five years old and she needs a lot of dental work done. She has two cavities on her molars that are pretty deep into the tooth. And two other molars are decayed and have lost their structure. In fact, about one-third of the tooth is gone. I don’t know what to do. Should I have the decayed teeth extracted? I really don’t want to have her teeth pulled if we don’t need to. She is also complaining about pain during chewing in one of the right molars. Do I need a pediatric dentist now? Unfortunately, she is not cooperative at the dentist which is a major reason we are in this situation.

– Carrie from Nebraska

Carrie,

From what you have described it sounds like you need to visit a pediatric dentist. At her age, she only has baby teeth in her mouth so eventually she will lose them. But, she does require those teeth to be in good shape so she can eat and keep the spaces for the upcoming permanent teeth. If the teeth are removed, then space maintainers will be needed so the permanent molars don’t cause crowding to her other teeth. There are pediatric dentists that do sedation dentistry. It is worth it if that is what is needed to get her smile healthy again. Cavities and decay at this age are largely due to the frequency in which children eat. From what it sounds like with the condition of her teeth now, she may be eating all day long, asking for treats constantly, etc. You need to discourage this kind of behavior and allow enough time between meals for her hunger to build up so you can break this habit. Over time, her dietary behavior will improve which will improve her dental health as well.

Dentists understand that kids will lose their teeth so they tend to think more temporarily. A crown may be used to treat the decayed molar versus extracting the tooth.

Good luck to you. I hope this information was helpful.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related link: Sleep dentistry; dental anxiety

Pediatric Dentistry

Sucking my thumb

I sucked my thumb until I was 13 years old. My teeth have suffered badly. My top teeth are shaped in an upward curve and are out of alignment. I want to get them fixed. What do I need to do to get them to return to normal.

-Jeanie in Kansas

Jeanie,

I recommend you find an orthodontist in your area. They will be able to correct the misalignment you have from sucking your thumb. Invisalign braces could solve your problem. Without seeing your particular case it is hard to see if you have other options.

Thumb sucking is a common concern of parents whose children have this habit. The best advice is to not worry too much about it. If you make it a really big deal, you may create a complex in your child. Unfortunately, this will have the opposite affect and will actually reinforce the behavior. Thumb sucking does not cause permanent damage to the baby teeth. This means that you are okay until the age of about seven or so. Most likely, when a child starts school their friends will play a large part into making them stop.

Since you sucked your thumb until the age of 13, it did cause damage to your permanent teeth. So, just relax and for most this behavior takes care of itself.

If you are still dealing with your kids sucking their thumb after losing baby teeth, you may need to do something more. Positive encouragement is the way to go. Don’t force them, punish them, or cause shame. This could have lasting implications on your child’s self esteem.

If it still is an issue, there are aids that can help. Although, these aids have the most success when the child truly wants to quit. So, if they do want to stop then you can try a bitter liquid called Thum. This product and other similar products make thumb sucking unpleasant. This will cause them to associate the bad taste with the behavior and under the right circumstances, it will help.

This post was provided by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Read more about pediatric dentistry.

Pediatric Dentistry

Space Maintainers for Children

My daughter is six years old and has two broken baby molars. Tooth decay caused the problem and our dentist recommended extraction since they are infected. Is that my only option? 

Kathy from Nevada

Kathy,

When a child’s baby molars are infected, extraction is required. Typically when a tooth is infected a root canal can be performed. But, due to the shape of the roots on a child’s molar, it is not possible to do root canal treatments. That is why the tooth extraction has been recommended. It is important you follow through with this. If this condition is left untreated, the infection will affect her permanent teeth that are still developing.

It is likely that the dentist will want to put in some space maintainers. This will help hold the space where each tooth is removed. Your daughter’s permanent molars will be coming in very soon behind the baby molars. There are other problems that could occur if the space maintainers are not used. For example, the permanent molars can drift forward and this will block out the permanent premolars from coming in normally.

For more information, read more about pediatric dentistry and family dentistry.