Magic Smiles | Patient Education

Patient Education

EARLY CHILDHOOD TOOTH DECAY

Why are baby teeth important?
Your child's baby teeth are important. Children need strong, healthy teeth to chew their food, speak and have a good-looking smile. Baby teeth also keep a space in the jaw for the adult teeth. If a baby tooth is lost too early, the teeth beside it may drift into the empty space. When it's time for the adult teeth to come in, there may not be enough room. This can make the teeth crooked or crowded.
What causes baby bottle tooth decay?
Decay occurs when sweetened liquids are given and are left clinging to an infant's teeth for long periods. Many sweet liquids cause problems, including milk, formula and fruit juice. Bacteria in the mouth use these sugars as food. They then produce acids that attack the teeth. Each time your child drinks these liquids, acids attack for 20 minutes or longer. After many attacks, the teeth can decay.
It's not just what you put in your child's bottle that causes decay, but how often — and for how long a time. Giving your child a bottle of sweetened liquid many times a day isn't a good idea. Allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle during naps or at night can also harm the child's teeth.
How can baby bottle tooth decay be prevented?
Sometimes parents do not realize that a baby's teeth can decay soon after they appear in the mouth. By the time decay is noticed, it may be too late to save the teeth. You can help prevent this from happening to your child by following the tips below:
1. After each feeding, wipe the baby's gums with a clean gauze pad. Begin brushing your child's teeth when the first tooth erupts. Clean and massage gums in areas that remain toothless, and begin flossing when all the baby teeth have erupted, usually by age 2 or 2½.
2. Never allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juice or sweetened liquids.
3. If your child needs a comforter between regular feedings, at night, or during naps, give the child a clean pacifier recommended by your dentist or physician. Never give your child a pacifier dipped in any sweet liquid.
4. Avoid filling your child's bottle with liquids such as sugar water and soft drinks.
5. If the local water supply does not contain fluoride (a substance that helps prevent tooth decay), ask your dentist how your child should get it.
6. Start dental visits by the child's first birthday. Make visits regularly. If you think your child has dental problems, take the child to the dentist as soon as possible.

TOOTH DECAY (CAVITIES/CARIES)

What is Tooth Decay?
Q: Why all the fuss? Baby teeth fall out eventually on their own!
A: Baby teeth are important to your child's present and future dental health. They encourage normal development of the jaw bones and muscles. They save space for the permanent teeth and guide them into position. Remember: Some baby teeth are not replaced until a child is 12 or 14 years old.
Q: Why do children lose their baby teeth?
A: A baby tooth usually stays in place until a permanent tooth underneath pushes it out and takes its place. Unfortunately, some children lose a baby tooth too soon. A tooth might be knocked out accidentally or removed because of dental disease. When a tooth is lost too early, your pediatric dentist may recommend a space maintainer to prevent future space loss and dental problems.
Tooth decay is a destruction of the tooth enamel. It occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) such as milk, pop, raisins, cakes or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay.
Q: How does a lost baby tooth cause problems for permanent teeth?
A: If a baby tooth is lost too soon, the teeth beside it may tilt or drift into the empty space. Teeth in the other jaw may move up or down to fill the gap. When adjacent teeth shift into the empty space, they create a lack of space in the jaw for the permanent teeth. Therefore, permanent teeth are crowded and come in crooked. If left untreated, the condition may require extensive orthodontic treatment. dental cleaner.
Eat nutritious and balanced meals and limit snacking.
Check with your dentist about use of supplemental fluoride, which strengthens your teeth, and about use of dental sealants (a plastic protective coating) applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from decay.
Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and oral examination.
How Do I Prevent Tooth Decay?
You can help prevent tooth decay by following these tips:
Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
Clean between your teeth daily with floss or interdental cleaner.
Eat nutritious and balanced meals and limit snacking.
Check with your dentist about use of supplemental fluoride, which strengthens your teeth, and about use of dental sealants (a plastic protective coating) applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from decay.
Visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and oral examination.
Aren't Cavities Just Kid's Stuff?
No. Changes that occur with aging make cavities an adult problem, too. Recession of the gums away from the teeth, combined with an increased incidence of gum disease, can expose tooth roots to plaque. Tooth roots are covered with cementum, a softer tissue than enamel. They are susceptible to decay and are more sensitive to touch and to hot and cold. The majority of people over age 50 have tooth-root decay. Decay around the edges, or margins, of fillings is also common to older adults. Because many older adults lacked benefits of fluoride and modern preventive dental care when they were growing up, they often have a number of dental fillings. Over the years, these fillings may weaken and tend to fracture and leak around the edges. Bacteria accumulate in these tiny crevices causing acid to build up which leads to decay.
Q: Why do children lose their baby teeth?
A: A baby tooth usually stays in place until a permanent tooth underneath pushes it out and takes its place. Unfortunately, some children lose a baby tooth too soon. A tooth might be knocked out accidentally or removed because of dental disease. When a tooth is lost too early, your pediatric dentist may recommend a space maintainer to prevent future space loss and dental problems.

NITROUS OXIDE/OXYGEN

Q: How will my child feel while breathing nitrous oxide/oxygen?
Q: How safe is nitrous oxide/oxygen?
Very safe. Nitrous oxide/oxygen is perhaps the safest sedative used in dentistry. Also it is well tolerated. It has a rapid onset, is reversible, can be adjusted in various concentrations and is non-allergenic. Your child remains fully conscious -- keeps all natural reflexes -- when breathing nitrous oxide/oxygen. He/she will be capable of responding to a question or request. Nitrous oxide/oxygen may also be used in combination with other sedative agents.
Q: Are there any special instructions for nitrous oxide/oxygen?
First, give your child little or no food in the two hours preceding the dental visit (occasionally, nausea or vomiting occurs when a child has a full stomach). Second, tell your pediatric dentist about any respiratory condition that makes breathing through the nose difficult for your child, as it may limit the effectiveness of nitrous oxide/oxygen. Third, tell your pediatric dentist if your child is taking any medication on the day of the appointment

ORAL PIERCING

From hairstyles to clothing, tattoos to jewelry, today's youth are making a fashion statement. But those who want to look cool with oral piercing may be looking to their dentists and physicians for help afterwards.
Common symptoms after oral piercing include pain, swelling, infection, an increased flow of saliva and injuries to the gum tissue. If a blood vessel was in the path of the needle during the piercing, severe and difficult-to-control bleeding can result. For some, chipped or cracked teeth, blood poisoning or even blood clots can occur. For many, the swelling of the tongue is a common side effect. And in extreme cases, a severely swollen tongue can actually close off the airway and prevent breathing.
Unfortunately, many young people with oral piercing don't realize that these alarming side effects could happen to them. So, skip the mouth jewelry and let your healthy smile make your fashion statement!
How can oral piercing be bad for your health?
Because your mouth contains millions of bacteria, infection is a common complication of oral piercing.
Pain and swelling are other side effects of piercing. Your tongue -- a popular piercing site in the mouth -- could swell large enough to close off your airway. Piercing also can cause uncontrollable bleeding or nerve damage.
The jewelry itself also presents some hazards. You can choke on any studs, barbells or hoops that come loose in your mouth, and contact with the jewelry can chip or crack your teeth. Source: American Dental Association.