Straight Teeth in Less Time
Extra Precautions And Preventive Measures Your Pediatric Dentist Performs And Why They Are Important
Lois Murray
When you take your children to the dentist, you may wonder why their appointments seem to take longer than your own. This has a lot to do with the extra precautions and preventive measures your pediatric dentist performs. These precautions and preventions are important to your children's overall oral health. Here is a description of some extra services that are typical for pediatric dentistry and why they are performed.
Sanding/Grinding Down Sharp Points
Sometimes a child's teeth have sharp, jagged points that can throw off their bite and hurt their lips, cheeks or tongue. Your pediatric dentist will recognize these areas on your child's teeth and use a light pumice polisher to grind the sharp points down just enough that your child's bite is restored and your child does not hurt him- or herself when he/she chews. This is not a regular or frequent procedure included in every office visit for children, but it is one that is fairly common and may be one of the reasons your child's visit takes more time.
Fluoride Treatments
As a kid, you probably remember sitting in the dentist's chair with these spongy trays filled with flavored goo. This is a fluoride treatment, and although the process is a little bit different now, children still have to sit and wait with fluoride on their teeth and avoid eating or drinking for the amount of time the dentist requests. If your child is having other dental procedures done in the same visit (e.g., sealants), then he or she will have to sit in the dentist's chair until the fluoride treatments have had enough time to work effectively.
Sealants
Sealants are very common for pediatric patients. When a tooth is in danger of cracking or splintering, or when a baby tooth needs to remain reasonably healthy just long enough for adult teeth to push through, a sealant is used. Sealants are typically "painted" onto your child's teeth, and then you have to wait an additional amount of time for the sealants to dry/cure and become "tooth armor" before your child can eat and drink. Your pediatric dentist may also use sealants to prevent cavities, especially if you live in a part of the country where very little fluoridated city water reaches your home (i.e., you live in a very rural area). Additionally, children who are visiting from a foreign country, or children who have immigrated with their parents to the U.S., will also undergo fluoride treatments and have sealants applied to protect their teeth.
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I had braces when I was a kid. Back then, you had to wear those metal wires and rubber bands for what seemed like forever. When I saw that my child’s teeth were going to be crooked like mine, I was dreading the years of braces and orthodontist appointments and limited diets that I saw stretching ahead of us. I was pleased to find out that braces today are very different from braces when I was a kid. They don’t need to be worn for nearly as long, and they aren’t as intrusive, either. My daughter got braces that can barely be seen, and she can remove them when she eats, so she doesn’t have to give up her favorite foods. I was so impressed that I started a blog to talk about modern day tooth straightening techniques. Braces have come a long way.