Pediatric dentistry involves dental care for children, from when they are infants till teenage years. As your toddler or child may require special dental treatment in those early ages, hence getting treatment by a pediatrician is beneficial.
To prevent dental cavity in children, following two treatments are done:
- Fluoride therapy – Fluoride prevents tooth decay and strengthens enamel of teeth. Even if there is any minor damage to teeth from cavity, it can be prevented by giving fluoride therapy. This therapy may be given in form of liquid, gel or foam that is brushed on the teeth or placed in the form of tray.
- Pit and fissure sealants – A sealant is plastic coating applied to the surface of back teeth. As soon as the tooth has erupted, applying pit and fissure sealant can prevent tooth from any bacteria.
For treatment, the decayed part of the tooth is removed and is replaced with filling. Fillings are also called restorations – material placed to treat decayed tooth. There are two methods –
- Direct restorations: Filling is placed directly in the prepared and cleaned cavity. The color of filling is tooth-colored and the procedure is done in a single visit.
- Indirect restorations: Indirect restoration is formulated outside the mouth and then the filling is placed on affected tooth. It includes crowns, dental implants, inlays, onlays and bridges.
Root canal therapy is recommended when the cavity is close to the nerve in baby teeth. It maintains the structure of primary tooth and keeps the gum tissues safe. Performing root canal will prevent infection and will make the permanent teeth stay healthy.
When a child’s one or more teeth are decayed to the point that filling is not effective, wearing stainless steel crowns is recommended. It protects children’s primary teeth from further decay. Removal of crown is easy as it will come out with the primary teeth to make way for permanent teeth.
Tooth coloured crowns are modern day treatment which is more natural looking and comfortable. The crown helps to restore teeth which have been severely damaged (developmental defect or injury from accident). The filling material is made that matches with child’s teeth to make them feel less conscious.
In the child’s growing age, if there is any irregularity in teeth then treatment to prevent it is available. There are appliances to align teeth like space maintaining device, braces, retainers, headgear, and others are recommended by dentists.
- Space maintaining device prevents back teeth from migrating forward when a child loses his/her baby teeth.
- Retainers ensure that the structure of jawbone is maintained and are used after braces.
- Headgear is used to correct growth and developmental problem of upper and lower jaw.
Habits like nail biting, thumb sucking, lip biting, etc. is common in children. Anchor bands or tongue bead is placed on child’s back teeth (roof of the mouth) so as to break these habits.