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Regular Exams and Cleanings
Regular exams are an important part of maintaining your child's oral health. During your child’s regular exam, we will:
- Check for any problems that may not be seen or felt
- Look for cavities or any other signs of tooth decay
- Inspect the teeth and gums for gingivitis and signs of periodontal disease
- Perform a thorough teeth cleaning
Your child’s exam will take about 45 minutes. Each regular exam includes a detailed teeth cleaning, in which we will clean, polish, and rinse the teeth to remove any tartar and plaque that have built up on the tooth’s surface.
Visiting our office every six months gives you the chance to talk to the doctor about any questions you may have about your child’s oral health. Regular exams are offered by appointment only, so please contact our practice today to schedule your child’s next dental exam and teeth cleaning.
Bonding is a conservative way to repair slightly chipped, discolored, or crooked teeth. During dental bonding, a white filling is placed onto your child's tooth to improve its appearance. The filling “bonds” with the tooth, and because it comes in a variety of tooth-colored shades, it closely matches the appearance of your child's natural teeth.
Tooth bonding can also be used for fillings instead of amalgam. Many patients prefer bonded fillings because the white color is much less noticeable than silver. Bonding fillings can be used on front or back teeth, depending on the location and extent of tooth decay.
Bonding is less expensive than other cosmetic treatments and can usually be completed in one visit to our office. However, bonding can stain and is easier to break than other cosmetic treatments, such as porcelain veneers. If it does break or chip, tell your doctor. The bonding can generally be easily patched or repaired in one visit.
Stainless Steel Crowns
When a child has a large cavity in a primary “baby tooth”, there is often not enough tooth structure left to hold a filling in it. In those cases, a stainless steel crown is used. Stainless steel crowns also are used to repair broken or cracked teeth and teeth weakened by defects. These crowns cover the damaged tooth and provide protection and strength. Because they are pre-made, stainless steel crowns are placed in one appointment and can be easily adapted to the child’s tooth. When the child loses the baby tooth, the crown falls out with it. Baby teeth that have received nerve treatments (pulpotomies or pulpectomies) also need to be restored with stainless crowns.
Alternatively, we also offer crowns that are made of monolithic Zirconia, a ceramic material time-tested for its strength and durability in adult dentistry. It is free of all metals including nickel.
For the last 60 years, large cavities in baby teeth have been treated with stainless-steel crowns. Although they are an excellent restoration and last without question, many parents have concerns over the stigma when their children have silver teeth.
One option is a Zirconia crown. Instead of having to use metal to place a strong layer of protection over the tooth, a beautiful, high-strength ceramic material is used. It can be used on either front or back teeth, and the child can avoid silver teeth. Cavities may keep happening, but at least we have an option to restore your son or daughter’s sparkling, brilliant smiles.
Sprig EZCrowns (formerly known as EZ Pedo) crowns are tooth-colored, prefabricated ceramic crowns especially designed for children. They are created from a solid block of zirconia, much like highly aesthetic crowns made for adults. Each crown is color-matched to your child’s tooth, making them very smooth, shiny, and impermeable to staining. Like stainless steel crowns, zirconia crowns are exceptionally strong.
There are times when it is necessary to remove a tooth. Sometimes a baby tooth has misshapen or long roots that prevent it from falling out as it should, and the tooth must be removed to make way for the permanent tooth to erupt. At other times, a tooth may have so much decay that it puts the surrounding teeth at risk of decay, so the doctor may recommend its removal. Infection, orthodontic correction, or problems with a wisdom tooth can also require removal of a tooth.
When it is determined that a tooth needs to be removed, your child’s dentist may extract the tooth during a regular checkup or may request another visit for this procedure. The root of each tooth is encased within the jawbone in a “tooth socket”, and the tooth is held in that socket by a ligament. In order to extract a tooth, the dentist must expand the socket and separate the tooth from the ligament holding it in place.
Traditional dental restoratives, or fillings, may include gold, porcelain, or composite. Newer dental fillings include ceramic and plastic compounds that mimic the appearance of natural teeth. These compounds, often called composite resins, are typically used on the front teeth where a natural appearance is important. There are two different kinds of fillings: direct and indirect. Direct fillings are fillings placed directly into a prepared cavity in a single visit. Indirect fillings generally require two or more visits. These fillings include inlays, and veneers fabricated with ceramics or composites.
Fluoride is effective in preventing cavities and tooth decay and in preventing plaque from building up and hardening on the tooth’s surface. A fluoride treatment in a dentist’s office takes just a few minutes. After the treatment, your child may be asked not to rinse for at least 30 minutes in order to allow the teeth to absorb the fluoride. Depending on your child’s oral health or the doctor’s recommendation, a fluoride treatment may be required every three, six, or 12 months.
Whether your child wears braces or not, protecting his or her smile while playing sports is essential. Mouthguards help protect the teeth and gums from injury. If your child participates in any kind of full-contact sport, the American Dental Association recommends that he or she wear a mouthguard. Choosing the right mouthguard is essential. There are three basic types of mouthguards: the pre-made mouthguard, the “boil-and-bite” fitted mouthguard, and a custom-made mouthguard from the dentist. When you choose a mouthguard, be sure to pick one that is tear-resistant, comfortable and well-fitted for your mouth, easy to keep clean, and does not prevent your child from breathing properly. Your dentist can show your child how to wear a mouthguard properly and how to choose the right mouthguard to protect his or her smile.
A pulpectomy is required when the entire pulp is involved (into the root canal of the tooth). During this treatment, the diseased pulp tissue is completely removed from both the crown and root. The canals are cleansed, disinfected, and in the case of primary teeth, filled with a resorbable material so that the roots resorb and the baby tooth falls out at its natural time. Then a final restoration is placed.
Your child’s primary molars (baby molars) will not be lost until age 11 or 12. Until then, they serve many important functions, such as promoting normal craniofacial growth, preserving space for the eruption of permanent teeth, and guiding the permanent successors into their proper orthodontic positions.
If your little one loses a baby molar due to injury or decay, our doctors may recommend placement of a space maintainer. New technology allows for easy placement with a customized fit that is comfortable in your child’s mouth, is easy to brush, and does not interfere with eating. The spacer is also easy to remove when the new permanent tooth is erupting.
Sometimes brushing is not enough, especially when it comes to those hard-to-reach spots in your child’s mouth. It is difficult for a toothbrush to get in between the small cracks and grooves on your child’s teeth. If left alone, those tiny areas can develop tooth decay. Sealants give your child’s teeth extra protection against decay and help prevent cavities.
Dental sealants are a plastic resin that bonds and hardens in the deep grooves on your child’s tooth’s surface. When a tooth is sealed, the tiny grooves become smooth and are less likely to harbor plaque. With sealants, brushing your child's teeth becomes easier and more effective against tooth decay.
Sealants are typically applied to children’s teeth as a preventive measure against tooth decay after the permanent teeth have erupted. It is more common to seal “permanent” teeth rather than “baby” teeth, but every patient has unique needs, and your child’s dentist will recommend sealants on a case-by-case basis.
Sealants last from three to five years, but it is fairly common to see adults with sealants still intact from their childhood. A dental sealant only provides protection when it is fully intact, so if your child’s sealants come off, let your dentist know, and schedule an appointment for your child's teeth to be re-sealed.