WHAT IS PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY?
Pediatric dentistry is a branch of dentistry which is an “age defined specialty”
It includes dental care for children under the age of 18 yrs…. for which a Pediatric Dentist undergoes additional 2-3 years of dental training which prepares them to meet the needs of an infant, child or adolescent…including those with special health care needs…
“Children are not just miniature adults”
Hence.. one of the main components of pediatric training is “child psychology”. This includes developing trust within the child gaining his confidence through the medium of a friendly environment, friendly communication style and also developing a positive dental attitude as well as making the dental visits enjoyable!!
Pediatric Dentists mainly work towards maintenance of healthy baby teeth till they are lost naturally!!! Good baby teeth or milk teeth as they are commonly known as .. are required for proper chewing, speech, good nutrition and finally to obtain healthy and well aligned permanent or new set of teeth…..
It is not only the duty but also the moral responsibility of a pediatric dentist, to see to it that the rate of tooth decay is maintained to as low as possible.. as poor oral health leads to poor overall general health.. which leads to further absence in school !!! for this they give advice on how to make teeth strong, parent education on healthy eating habits, advice on preventing injuries to the teeth and oral structures and finally preventive measures like brushing,flossing and use of fluorides..
OUR APPROACH
PEDIATRIC DENTAL TREATMENTS
- Oral examination
- Radiographic examination
- Pulpectomies
- Pulpotomies
- Stainless steel crowns
- Zirconia Crowns
- Extractions
- Space Maintainers
- Interceptive Orthodontic treatment
- Habit Breaking
- Minor oral surgical procedures
- Tooth coloured fillings
- Colourful restorations
- Fluoride therapy
- Tooth cleaning
- Pit and Fissure Sealants
- Aesthetic restorations
- Root canal treatment for immature teeth
- Root canal treatment
TEETH ERUPTION GUIDE
HOW TO BRUSH
EMERGENCIES
Severe toothache
- Rinse with warm saline water
- Cold compress on the affected area if any swelling or redness seen
- Painkillers can be given in-house if severe pain exists… any routine painkiller like paracetamol or ibuprofen can be given in doses which were regularly given to the child in case of other problems like fever…
- Brushing on and around painful tooth
- Contact the dentist as soon as possible
2) Injury to child affecting teeth/mouth in case of an accident
- If the child is unconscious, disoriented or vomits rush to the nearest hospital. If the mouth is the main area of injury… apply ice and rush to the nearest hospital or medical center immediately
3) If the child falls and chips off his tooth
- If it a permanent tooth that has fallen off, it can be placed back in the same area (socket)… this is reimplantation. But for a successful reimplantation you need to reach your dentist as soon as possible as time is of the essence in such cases…
- Apply ice to control bleeding
- Search for the missing tooth… once found… if the tooth appears dirty… wash it under tap water or in a bowl of water or saline
- Hold the tooth from the top part and do not touch its root part
- Try to put the tooth back into the mouth where it was if you can… if you can’t place it in a bowl of saline or milk
- Rush to us as soon as possible
- However, if a baby tooth is knocked out….one should not try to put it back instead see us as soon as possible
4) If the child’s space maintainer (clip) or crown (cap) comes loose
- If you find that your child’s space maintainer or crown id rocking or moving contact us immediately…
- However if the appliance or crown does come off, keep the appliance/crown safe and contact us to get it refitted