Dental Implants: Pros and Cons

Dental Services Your Child Might Require Growing Up

by Brett Clark

As a parent, you are required to teach your child how to care for his or her teeth. Start by taking your child to see a pediatric dentist when the first teeth start coming out. This is usually around the sixth to the tenth month. At this stage, the dentist inspects the first teeth to check whether they are growing correctly. He or she then gives you professional advice on how to care for your child's teeth and the kind of signs to look out for. Afterward, the dentist prepares a dental schedule indicating when you should bring your child for regular dental monitoring. This is the starting point of your child's dental health journey.

Here are the dental services your child might require growing up.

Braces

It is not uncommon to see many children with braces. As your child grows, some teeth may become misaligned or start to grow crooked. There are many reasons for this; for example, your child may have used a bottle for too long, sucked on a finger for too long, had an underlying dental condition, etc.

The solution is braces. The most common and cheapest option is traditional metal braces. They are very effective and found to work fast. If your child is mindful of his or her appearance, choose porcelain or ceramic braces. They resemble the traditional metal braces in design, but instead of metal brackets, they use ceramic brackets that are the same colour as your child's teeth. Additionally, the wire that passes through the brackets is coated to match the colour of your child's teeth.

Tooth Extraction

The first set of teeth are referred to as milk or primary teeth. These fall out between the ages of six and twelve. As a parent, be highly involved in your child's dental health during the early years. You want to instil good dental hygiene practices and also prevent any dental problems like tooth decay that can cause holes. You don't want your child to be in pain; neither do you want to spend your hard-earned money to treat a primary tooth that will fall out. Treatments for decayed teeth include fillings or root canals, but sometimes, the dentist may recommend tooth extraction because a permanent tooth will grow to replace the extracted primary tooth.

Filling and Root Canal

These are mostly performed on decayed secondary or permanent teeth because if the tooth is extracted, no other tooth will grow to replace it. A filling is done if the tooth decay has not reached the pulp cavity. The decayed part is drilled or cut out and replaced with tooth filling material.

Root canals are done if tooth decay has reached the pulp cavity. The decayed part is drilled and the contents of the pulp cavity removed to prevent infection. The area is then filled with tooth filling material.

To learn more, contact a dentist.

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