Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry that deals with the oral health of a child from birth through adolescence. Early detection is essential to maintain oral health, modify aberrant habits, and treat as needed and as simply as possible. Treatments done under this branch include space maintainers, extraction, cleaning, filling, pulp treatment, fluoride application, and more.
Rampant Caries
Rampant caries are a type of dental caries that appear suddenly but destroy aggressively. This type of caries is mostly seen in children and young adults. Early diagnosis and management is highly recommended to avoid further damage.
Early Childhood Caries
Early childhood caries is a multifactorial disease. The upper incisors and molars are affected first, followed by the molars of the lower jaw and finally the lower jaw incisors of milk teeth. This is usually seen in children sleeping with bottles filled with sweetened milk. Children with early childhood caries are at high risk to develop caries in the permanent dentition as well.
Natal and Neonatal Teeth
Natal teeth are teeth present at the time of birth. Neonatal teeth are teeth that erupt within the first month of life. Problems encountered include deformity of the tongue and improper pattern and eruption of other teeth. Sometimes dehydration, inadequate nutrient intake by the infant, and growth retardation are also observed. Extraction at the earliest is the best solution for natal and neonatal teeth.
Preventive Dentistry
Regular dental checkups, good habits, and regular brushing and flossing are the best ways to prevent dental problems. It is very easy to treat and prevent further damage at a younger age, saving both time and money.
Teeth cleaning, pit and fissure sealants, and fluoride application are done to prevent dental problems. Educating a child on these topics will give them a healthy future.
Identification of Habits Affecting the Teeth
Early identification of mal-alignment and starting simple treatment is highly beneficial. It reduces the need for various orthodontic treatments at a later stage, which can be complicated and costly. Various habits encountered during young age include thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, lip biting, and mouth breathing. Pediatric dentistry provides simple habit-breaking appliances that can do wonders for such issues.
Commonly encountered mal-alignments are crooked teeth, crowding of teeth, spacing, proclination, and crossbite.
Developmental Child Psychology
Speech and language development is a useful indicator of a child's overall development. A few main causes of speech issues are tongue tie, improperly formed palate, and thumb sucking. If speech and language delays are untreated, they may lead to reduced reading, verbal, and spelling skills, behavior problems, and impaired psychosocial adjustment. This can also lead to overall academic underachievement. Visiting a pediatric dentist at an early stage can support proper speech development through appropriate protocols.
Related Services
- Orthodontics — braces and aligners for children and teens
- Root Canal Treatment — pulp treatment for severely decayed teeth
- Periodontics — gum health maintenance for young patients