When
it comes to the topic of Pediatric Dental care, so many of us
parents are left in the dark. With not much information
seemingly available and such an important topic, I thought I would
share some of the insight I have gained working the past 18 months
as a Pediatric Dental Assistant. Here are some helpful hints
I learned from experience and from Pediatric Dentists...
Infant
Dental Care:
This
is probably the most neglected part of dental care, from what I’ve
seen. It doesn’t seem to be a willful thing, simply an issue
of not knowing what to do. It is crucially important that
once the first tooth comes in that the teeth begin to be brushed
using an extra soft pediatric-sized toothbrush and either water
or tooth and gum cleanser (without fluoride). Since infants
are unable to spit out excess toothpaste, they would ingest too
much fluoride from regular toothpaste. Tooth and gum cleanser
is great because it tastes good and helps remove plaque from teeth
without adding extra fluoride infants do not need. They should
however be receiving fluoride drops as prescribed from their pediatrician
or pediatric dentist. This way the doctor can prescribe and
amount of fluoride that is correct for their age.
Since
it is possible for infants to have cavities, diet is crucial.
Infants should not be allowed to fall asleep with a bottle of
juice, milk, or anything but water. The sugar in milk and
juice sits on their teeth all night and causes cavities.
Their teeth should be brushed morning and night, just like adults,
and then given only water after brushing. During the day,
if the child is a frequent feeder, teeth will need to be brushed
more frequently. Frequent feeding, a lot of carbohydrates
and drinking a lot of juice that is not 100% juice is another
way infants end up with many cavities.
Toddler
Dental Care:
At
age two, the recommended dosage of fluoride increases for your child.
He/she should still continue to take a prescription of fluoride,
although at this age, it is probably easier for them to chew fluoride
tablets. They taste better and are less messy than the drops.
Fluoridated toothpaste can now be used, most dentist recommend using
the bubblegum or berry flavors, since they do not contain sugar
but are more agreeable to kids taste buds and will made brushing
a more fun experience. It is recommended that toddlers use
just a smear of toothpaste on the extra soft pediatric size toothbrush.
Even a pea size amount can sometimes be too much if the toddler
is not yet able to spit out excess amounts. Brushing needs
to occur, again, twice a day (at bedtime and after breakfast).
Many
companies make different toddler-size toothbrushes. A first
trip to the dentist is recommended around this age so that the
child can become familiar with the dental office and receive his/her
first dental examination and it also allows parents a chance to
ask any questions they might have. If there are older children
in the family, it is sometimes helpful to have the toddler come
with the older sibling and watch them sit in the chair first to
eliminate any fear factors that exist. Depending on the
cooperation of the child, a second visit may be scheduled around
age 2 and a half or 3 where the toddler will have his/her first
dental cleaning, fluoride treatment and full exam.
If any cavities are present, it is important not to scare the
toddler by telling them they’re going to have “shots” or that
it will hurt to fix the cavities. The dentist sometimes
doesn’t even have to use Novocain to numb on small cavities and
if they are not expecting pain, a lot of times they won’t feel
it. Preparing them for a bad experience will give them just
that, a bad experience.
Children’s
Dental Care
Now
that they are older, able to brush a little more without help, they
should still brush under supervision and a parent should check the
brushing afterwards to see if it was sufficiently done. Many
young kids are not able to brush well enough on their own and do
still need the help of a parent until around age 8. Brushing
times remain the same as infants, and toddlers (2x/day, bedtime
and after breakfast). Dental trips should occur every six
months, with a professional dental cleaning, fluoride treatment,
and exam. Fluoride tablets should continue to be taken until
all the baby teeth have fallen out; usually around age 10
or 12.
