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Childrens Dental Care
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Child's First Visit
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We treat your child’s first dental visit as the foundation of a growing relationship
between our dental office and your child. We must stress here that it is very important
that your child be brought to us as soon as the teeth start to appear-if dental
care is started at this time, the chances of dental problems occurring in life are
low and the child will always be comfortable in the environment of our clinic.
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At the new patient appointment the dentist and staff will spend quality time getting
to know you and your child. We get your child comfortable with dentistry by explaining
the procedures and demonstrating the equipment in a fun-filled and imaginative way.
The office visit will include a thorough oral examination, x-rays if required, a
cleaning and fluoride application.
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A complete review of your child’s medical health and any special needs or concerns
will be addressed. More complicated procedures, such as fillings will be done, if
necessary, at a later visit after your child has become familiar with the office.
We conclude the first visit with an oral hygiene demonstration and nutrition counseling,
winding up with an office tour. You will also receive a summary of your child’s
oral health and future dental needs.
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What Should I Tell my Child About the First Dental Visit?
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We are asked this question many times. We suggest you prepare your child the same
way that you would before their first haircut or trip to the shoe store. This will
not be the frightening experience you may remember from your youth. If you are nervous
about the trip, then the less you say the better. You cannot hide your anxiety from
a child (they have radar for these things). Have fun reading books about dentistry
with your child and encourage play behaviors that mimic a dental visit with your
child being the dentist and then the patient. Talk about how the dentist or assistant
will help keep your child’s teeth healthy and how they care about children. Your
child's reaction to his first visit to the dentist may surprise you. |
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Family Visit
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We offer the convenience of appointments for the entire family.
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This might prove to be quite convenient to families since members can travel together
for the appointment and it allows for dental records for the entire family together
at one location.
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However, in order to provide children with the most positive introduction to our
practice, we recommend that their first visit be a special time set aside just for
them. Parents should schedule separate appointments for themselves to allow for
the opportunity to be with their child during this first experience. This enhances
the positive and fun atmosphere we want to provide as well as the chance to fill
out proper forms and answer questions the dentist may have regarding the child.
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Once established with the practice, we encourage parents to schedule appointments
for themselves and their children at the same time.
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Nutrition and Healthy Food |
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Good eating habits that begin in early childhood can go a long way in ensuring a
lifetime of good oral health.
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Good nutrition and a balanced diet will help your child grow up healthy. Whether
your child is a toddler or a teen, you can take steps to improve nutrition and encourage
smart eating habits.
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Five Best Strategies for Your Child’s Nutrition:
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1. Have regular family meals: Kids who eat their meals with the family are more
likely to eat fruits, vegetables and grains, less likely to snack on unhealthy foods
and less likely to smoke or drink alcohol. Allow your teens to invite a friend for
meals now and then. Remember to keep mealtime calm and congenial with no lectures
or arguments. Work around the situation when the child is at sports practice. Try
setting aside time on the weekends for meals such as a Sunday brunch, when it may
be more convenient to gather as a group.
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2. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks: Younger kids will most likely eat
what’s available at home. Work fruits and vegetables into the daily routine. Serve
lean meats and other good sources of protein such as eggs and nuts. Limit fat intake,
fast food and other snacks which are low on nutrients. On any given day, one third
of toddlers eat no fruit, and French Fries are the most commonly consumed vegetable!
Instead of sugary drinks such as soda and fruit-flavored drinks, serve water and
milk. The carbonation found in soda can actually erode tooth enamel. If the child
must drink soda, encourage him or her to use a straw which will help keep at least
some of the carbonated beverage away from the teeth.
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3. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself: Children will follow the lead of
the adults they see every day. Send out the right message to them. Providing your
body with the right amounts of vitamins and minerals helps your teeth, gums and
immune system to stay strong and ward off infection, decay and disease.
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4. Avoid battles over food: Establish a predictable schedule of meals and snacks.
Don’t bribe or reward kids with food. Avoid using dessert as the prize for eating
the meal. Don’t use food as a way of showing love. Give hugs instead.
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5. Involve children in the process of planning meals: Talk to them about making
choices and planning a balanced meal. At the store, help your child look at food
labels to begin understanding nutritional values. Let them help in the kitchen with
age-appropriate tasks. Don’t forget to praise them for jobs well done. Let them
help prepare school lunches.
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Frequent ingestion of sugars and other carbohydrates (eg, junk food, juices and
acidic beverages) and prolonged contact of these substances with the teeth are risk-
factors leading to the development of caries. Nutrition- conscious parents can prevent
cavities for their children by limiting or eliminating apple juice or any other
high sugar content juice from their diet. Children at high risk of cavities should
restrict their liquid intake to water and milk.
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Parents with sports-minded children should limit the use of sugar laden sports drinks.
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Along with increasing the risk of caries, increased consumption of sugar- sweetened
beverages and snack foods also has been linked to obesity.
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How Parents Can Help
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We actively encourage parents to be closely involved in a child’s visits to our
clinic. Preparing your child for the first visit by reading recommended books, playing
pretend-dentist and being positive about the dental experience is very helpful.
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At the end of each appointment, parents are invited to reward their child with words
of praise for a job well done.
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We enjoy establishing a trusting friendship with each child and their parents. We
teach parents that it’s fun to converse with their child using our gentle dental
terminology.
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Nutritional counseling is provided to parents that will assist them with packing
lunches and snacks for school. We also help parents figure out what may be the cause
of cavities for their child and give them many ideas for preventing dental decay.
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Routine dental care, such as six-monthly cleaning and examination appointments,
can also develop lasting friendships with our dental team. Children learn by watching
their parents. Regular tooth brushing and flossing can be a fun family event.
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Why a Pediatric Dentist
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What is a Pediatric Dentist (Pedodontist)?
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Our doctors and staff love children and are specially trained to put them at ease.
We teach your children suitable dental-care habits, but just as important, they
learn that going to the dentist can be fun.
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In the same way that pediatricians are trained to meet a child's medical needs,
our pediatric dental specialists are uniquely qualified to protect your child's
oral health, using the most advanced techniques
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What Dental Problems Could My Child Have?
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Some dental problems begin very early in life. One concern is early childhood caries,
a serious condition caused by a child staying on the bottle or sippee cup or breastfeeding
for too long. Cavities between the teeth are very common. They are not visible without
dental x-rays in their early stages of decay. By the time a child has pain associated
with these types of cavities, the teeth require more extensive treatment or removal.
Another problem is gum disease. About 40% of two to three years old children have
at least mild inflammation of gum tissues. Oral habits (such as thumb-sucking) should
also be checked. Many oral diseases, such as canker sores, can be treated before
they become advanced and cause unnecessary pain for your child. The earlier the
dental visit, the better the chances of preventing problems. Strong, healthy teeth
help your child chew food easily, speak clearly and feel good about his or her appearance.
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Why Are Baby Teeth Important?
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Primary teeth are important because they help with proper chewing and eating, help
in speech development and add to an attractive appearance. A child who can chew
easily, speak clearly and smile confidently is a happier child. Healthy primary
teeth allow normal development of the jawbones and muscles, save space for the permanent
teeth and guide them into place. If a baby tooth is lost too soon, permanent teeth
may come in crooked. Decayed baby teeth can cause pain, abscesses, infections, and
can spread to the permanent teeth. Also, your child's general health can be affected
if diseased baby teeth aren't treated. Remember, some primary molars are not replaced
until age ten to fourteen, so they must last for years.
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What Helpful Information Can You Give Me Regarding Tooth Decay in Infants?
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A. Most importantly, don’t nurse your children to sleep. Nor should you put the
child to bed with a bottle of milk, juice or formula. When a child is sleeping,
any liquid that remains in the mouth can support the bacteria that produce acid
and harm the teeth. A simple pacifier or bottle of water is fine.
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Hormonal Changes
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During puberty hormonal changes can cause an increase in blood flow to the gums.
This will lead to redness and swelling and eventually gum disease if not given timely
care. There might also be some tenderness and bleeding at the irritated areas between
the teeth. It is essential for teens to keep up with daily flossing of the teeth
and the use of proper brushing techniques to prevent unsightly teeth, gums and bad
breath. Doctors at Global Dental Care can prescribe a dental regimen that will help
reduce the effects of hormonal imbalance on the teeth and gums.
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Braces
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At Global Dental Care we understand that teens consider braces a nuisance but unfortunately
they have to put up with them if they want those perfect teeth. Most teens understand
this fact but still chaff at the necessity of wearing braces. Our experience has
shown us that many of them do not take proper care of their teeth or their braces.
we are well equipped to handle this. Every one of us knows the importance of giving
extensive and motivational oral hygiene instruction to kids with braces at each
appointment.
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Preventive Measures
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One of our primary concerns at Global Dental Care is to keep your child’s teeth
safe from decay. At our office we are most concerned with all aspects of preventive
care. We use the latest in sealant technology to protect your child's teeth. Sealants
are space-age plastics that are bonded to the chewing surfaces of the decay prone
back teeth. This is just one of the ways we will set the foundation for a lifetime
of good oral health for your child. Continual preventive care includes regular check-ups
and cleanings with follow-up oral hygiene instructions. The timing of these depends
on your child’s specific needs, most commonly recommended every six months.
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Fluoride
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Indications
- Children at risk of cavities
- Teeth with decalcification
- Those that live in non-fluoridated communities
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Patient Benefit:
- Fluoride helps prevent smooth surface cavities
- It can also reduce or stop the progression of beginning cavities
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Tooth Brushing and Flossing
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Global Dental Care recommends that you take the uttermost care of your child’s teeth
from Day 1. Children’s hands and mouths are different from those of adults. Therefore,
they need to use toothbrushes specially designed for them. Both adults and children
should use brushes with soft, rounded bristles for gentle cleaning. Change to a
new brush approximately every three months.
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Wipe your infant’s teeth gently with a moist, soft cloth or gauze square at least
twice a day, especially before sleeping. As babies grow, use a child’s extra soft
toothbrush with a small, pea- sized dab of toothpaste. By age two or three begin
to teach your child to brush. However, you will still need to brush where they miss
out.
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When children are seven to eight years old they are usually able to brush by themselves.
Flossing can be more challenging and this skill develops around age nine.
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Hold the brush at an angle (forty-five degrees) towards teeth and gums. Move brush
back and forth with short strokes, about a half tooth wide.
- Brush the inside and outside surfaces of each tooth, top and bottom.
- Hold the brush flat on top of the teeth and brush the chewing surfaces.
- Gently brush the tongue to remove debris.
- Floss between teeth daily.
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When to Begin Brushing
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Once your child's teeth begin erupting, you can begin cleaning them by wiping them
with a moist washcloth. As your child gets more teeth, you can begin to use a soft
child's toothbrush.
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You should use just a pea- size amount of fluoride toothpaste or a non-fluoride
toothpaste until your child is able to spit it out. Getting toddlers to brush their
teeth can be quite a challenge.
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Some suggestions for making tooth brushing less of a battle can include:
- Let the child brush his or her own teeth first. You will likely have to "help out."
- Use child friendly flossing aids.
- Use a stepstool and mirror to help the child.
- Have everyone brush their teeth at the same time.
- Continue to encourage healthy habits even if your child is resistant. You will be
pleased with the long-term results.
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To help the child understand the importance of brushing, it can sometimes be helpful
to let him or her eat or drink something that will “stain” the teeth temporarily
and then let the child brush them clean.
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It can also be a good idea to create a “tooth brushing routine” and stick to the
same routine each day. Tooth brushing charts can motivate older children, although
the ultimate motivation is a parent’s joyful approval of a child who has clean teeth.
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Cavity Prevention
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Most of the time cavities are due to a diet high in sugary foods and a lack of proper
brushing. Limiting sugar intake and brushing regularly, of course, can help. |
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The longer it takes your child to chew food and the longer the residue stays on
their teeth, the greater the chances of getting cavities. Every time someone eats,
an acid reaction occurs inside their mouth as the bacteria digest the sugars. This
reaction lasts for approximately twenty minutes.
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During this time the acid environment can destroy the tooth structure, eventually
leading to cavities.
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Consistency of a person's saliva also makes a difference; thinner saliva breaks
up and washes away food more quickly. A diet high in carbohydrates and sugars tends
to result in thicker saliva, which in turn produces more of the acid-producing bacteria
that causes cavities.
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Sealants
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Placement of a thin coating of white filling material in the grooves of the back
teeth can help prevent sticky substances from adhering to the tooth. This will help
teens to decrease their chances of decay. Doctors at may suggest sealants for teens
but only after a thorough examination with x-rays proves that they are really required.
A sealant is easily “painted” on the chewing surfaces and leaves a smoother area
where food cannot stick. It does not flow between the teeth or on the inside or
outside surfaces so brushing and flossing are still essential.
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Tips for Cavity Prevention:
- Limit frequency of meals and snacks.
- Help your child brush and floss regularly.
- Avoid sticky foods (fruit rolls and sticky dried fruit).
- Make treats part of meals.
- Choose nutritious snacks.
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Treatment Procedure
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Cleaning
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Indications:
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- Children who have inadequate plaque removal at home
- Children who haven’t fully developed their hand dexterity
- Children with poor nutrition
- Children at risk of cavities
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Patient Benefit:
- This is a preventive procedure i.e. it aids in the prevention of cavities, oral
cancer, etc
- There is complete removal of bacteria from the child’s mouth
- The soft tissue is examined and screened for any abnormalities
- This is the time that children receive hygiene education
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Sealants
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Indications:
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- Deep grooves on occlusal surfaces
- Occlusal surfaces that are suspicious but not carious
- Children with a high caries rate
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Patient Benefit:
- Sealants reduce the chance of decay on the biting surfaces of the teeth
- These areas are difficult to clean and can decay easily
- Great investment in the child’s oral health
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Anterior Composite
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Indications:
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- Decay
- Fracture, chip
- Broken teeth
- Fluorosis
- Decalcification
- Esthetics (peg lateral)
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Patient Benefit:
- Improved appearance and, self esteem
- The removal of decay and the placement of a filling restore the original form and
function of a tooth Posterior Composite
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Indications:
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- Decay
- Fracture, chip
- Broken teeth
- Decalcification
- Malformed teeth
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Patient Benefit:
- The removal of decay and the placement of a filling restore the original form and
function of a tooth
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Stages
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Pregnancy
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Though it is not widely known, pregnancy is a time when great care needs to be taken
by the expectant mother, both for her own teeth and for those of the child she is
carrying. During pregnancy, a woman’s hormonal levels rise and gingivitis is common.
Serious gum disease in the mother has been linked to low birth-weight babies and
premature births. Crowns of the baby teeth develop and chewing surfaces of the permanent
molars begin to form during pregnancy. A balanced diet and use of prenatal vitamins
help to develop healthy teeth, while poor nutrition can be associated with tooth
decay.
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Cavity causing bacteria can be transmitted to the fetus, so it is important to reduce
plaque and have teeth free of decay before the birth of a child.
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If you are pregnant, be sure to visit your dentist regularly and have your teeth
cleaned more often. At birth, bacteria may also be transmitted by a mother kissing
her newborn child.
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Infant Dental Care
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Begin cleaning the baby’s mouth with a clean damp washcloth. Avoid putting the baby
to bed with a bottle, sippee cup or while breastfeeding. This habit may cause cavities
when your baby has teeth, especially if milk, formula, juice or other sweetened
liquid is used. Only water should be put in a bottle or cup if your child cannot
fall asleep without it. While your baby is breastfeeding, wipe the teeth with a
damp washcloth as soon as he or she falls asleep and stops sucking. Sharing items
such as spoons, pacifiers, toothbrushes and toys can spread cavity-causing germs
between babies and between the caregiver and the baby.
Start a habit of brushing twice a day when the first tooth comes in. Use soft-bristled
toothbrushes designed for babies with water or a very small amount of non-fluoridated
toothpaste. Toothpaste containing fluoride can be used when your child can spit.
Consult your pediatrician or pediatric dentist about other sources of fluoride supplementation
for your child.
It is normal for a baby to cry while tooth brushing. Babies also cry when they are
bathed, dressed or changed. Be calm and methodical while continuing to give proper
care to your child’s teeth.
With time your child will appreciate your gentle attention to his/her teeth and
will allow you to clean without protest.
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Tooth Eruption
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The twenty baby teeth are already forming before birth. A baby’s front four teeth
usually erupt first, typically at about six to eight months of age, although some
children don’t have their first tooth until they are twelve months old. The rest
of the twenty baby teeth appear in pairs along the sides of the jaw until the child
is about three years old. The pace and order of their eruption varies.
The first permanent teeth begin to erupt at about age five to six and include molars
behind the back baby teeth along with lower central incisors. Some permanent teeth
replace baby teeth and some don’t. This process will continue until approximately
age fourteen.
Don’t worry if some teeth are a few months early or late as all children have different
eruption patterns.
Tooth Eruption Charts
Please note that some charts may need to be printed in landscape
mode.
Primary Tooth Eruption
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Click Here to View This Chart
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Permanent Tooth Eruption
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Click Here to View This Chart
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Teething
When teeth begin erupting, some babies have sore or tender gums and may complain.
Gently rubbing your child’s gums with a clean finger or a wet washcloth can be soothing.
You can also give your baby a clean teething ring to chew on, but never dipped in
sugar or syrup. If your child is still uncomfortable, consult your dentist or physician.
Contrary to common belief, fever is not normal for a teething baby. If your infant
has an unusually high or persistent fever while teething, call your physician.
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Special Needs Patients
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We are committed to providing the best dental care for all children regardless of
their developmental or other special health care needs. We provide services to differently-abled
people whether they have physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioral, cognitive,
or emotional challenges which require medical management, health care intervention
and/or use of specialized services or programs.
If the individual is not capable of self care, it is essential that people who are
in daily contact with the individual become engaged in the prevention of dental
disease and other aspects of the individual’s oral health care.
More complex oral care will be identified and referred to an appropriate dental
specialist who also works with people with special needs. You can be assured our
office will give your child with special needs the attention and gentleness he/she
requires for a positive and successful dental experience.
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Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking
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Prolonged use of pacifiers or prolonged thumb sucking can harm the child’s teeth
although it is often easier to wean a child from a pacifier than the thumb.
If the child continues thumb sucking or pacifier use past the age of four years,
he/she may develop crooked teeth, a malformed upper jaw and speech problems.
The specific issue will depend on the frequency, duration, intensity and position
of the thumb in the child’s mouth.
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Some helpful hints on breaking the habit include:
- Wait until the time is right (low stress).
- Praise them when they are not sucking (positive reinforcement).
- Use a reward system.
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Mouth Protectors
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What are Mouth Guards?
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A. Mouth guards protect the teeth from possible sport injuries. They not only protect
the teeth, but the lips, cheeks, tongue and jaw bone as well. They can contribute
to the protection of a child from head and neck injuries such as concussions. Most
injuries occur to the mouth and head area when a child is not wearing a mouth guard.
When Should my Child Wear a Mouth Guard?
A. A mouth guard should be worn during any sports based activity where there is
risk of head, face or neck injury. Such sports include hockey, soccer, karate, basketball,
baseball, skating, skateboarding as well as many other sports.
Most oral injuries occur when children play basketball, baseball and soccer.
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