Having had the parents of many of my own pediatric patients ask me similar dental related questions, I decided writing a blog to answer some dental basics that all parents should know would be helpful. This is the first post and will therefore touch on just a few concepts. If you are interested in expanding your knowledge of any particular concept, my other posts may be helpful and of course, you are always welcomed to ask any questions, or request for me to write a post on a dental topic you are interested in learning more about.
They will fall out, but they serve very important functions while they are there. Other than the obvious reason (chewing) they maintain the space needed for the permanent (adult) teeth to erupt into proper position, without getting crowded. Primary teeth are also involved in the proper development of the facial muscles and jaw bones.
- Keeping primary teeth healthy
The proper methods of keeping those pearly whites happy will be discussed in a future post
- Brushing properly
- Flossing properly
- Sealants
- Mouthwash
- Diet
- Dental follow-ups
Cavities may start to form and slowly destroy the tooth structure. Sometimes these cavities become large enough to reach all the way to the "living" part of the tooth (pulp), where all the nerves and blood vessels are. There are even times when the tooth must be taken out due to a size and location of the cavity.
- How are cavities treated?
After the infected tissue has been taken out, different types of fillings can be placed to restore the tooth. If a cavity gets too close to the pulp, two different procedures can be performed to fix the problem. The most common one is a pulpotomy, where some of the living tissue is taken out. A pulpectomy is a similar procedure to a pulpotomy, except that
all living tissue must be taken out during a pulpectomy. After a pulpotomy or a pulpectomy, the most common treatment is to cover the tooth with a stainless steel crown (cap). If the tooth is lost prematurely, space maintainers must be used until a permanent tooth erupts into the position. I will write a post about each of these treatments in future posts
3 comments:
In behalf of all the mothers out there I'd like to thank you for this article. I have one concern though, my 6 years old son now has this cavities which baffles me because he never misses any of his tooth brushing rituals and sees he's dentist annually and occasionally gets a Dental Cleaning, Prevention & Exam. So I was wondering what could have caused it and will Composite Fillings do the job of taking it away or what?
I am glad you are enjoying reading my articles. Please understand that simply brushing your teeth regularly would not necessarily prevent cavities. There are many factors involved in cavity formation. Diet is a very important one, the techniques used during brushing/flossing, as well as genetic factors can all be contributing factors. I hope this helps.
hey thank you so much for the tips and the suggestions...i will definitely follow your tips...your tips will help me a lot in future...I just want to know at what age i should take my child to a dentist for a regular chek up???
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