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Kids should see the dentist for the first time whenever their first tooth comes out, or when they turn 1 year old, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
To begin the process, a dental hygienist will gently clean plaque and tartar from your child’s teeth, buff and polish them, and floss their teeth. X-rays may be taken at this time if they’re necessary.
Dr. Youngner will examine your child’s mouth and x-rays and discuss their oral health history with you to learn more about their oral health and assess the health of their gums and teeth.
After your appointment, Dr. Youngner will discuss any specific findings or issues with you, and schedule follow-ups at Bayview Dental, if necessary.
Silver diamine fluoride, or SDF for short, is an alternative to fillings. It uses a special mixture of silver, ammonia, water, and fluoride to treat small cavities in baby teeth. This mixture is “painted” onto the tooth, and it halts the progression of the cavity, keeping your child’s tooth healthy.
The main drawback of this is that it stains the tooth, which is why SDF is usually only used in baby teeth, which will fall out naturally to be replaced by adult teeth.
We offer pre-fitted stainless steel crowns to treat cavities and damaged baby teeth. Compared to fillings, crowns offer superior protection, and usually require less preparation of your child’s tooth, so the process is faster and less invasive. They are also suitable when the damage to the tooth is too extensive to be repaired with a filling.
If your child loses a baby tooth prematurely, they may need a space maintainer. A space maintainer is a piece of metal or plastic that’s placed in the gap where a lost tooth used to be. This helps ensure the surrounding teeth don’t move, which can cause issues with oral development and interfere with the proper eruption of your child’s permanent adult teeth.
Frenectomies are used to treat tongue ties and lip ties. Tongue and lip ties occur in kids when the band of tissue connecting the tongue to the base of the mouth or connecting the lip to the gums is overdeveloped and too thick.
This thick band of tissue can interfere with breastfeeding, speech, chewing, speaking, and more. A frenectomy is a procedure that’s used to snip the tissue, restoring your child’s oral range of motion and preventing these issues.
A pulpotomy is used to treat an infected baby tooth. In this procedure, the tooth is opened up and some of the decayed and infected material inside is removed. Then, a special healing medication is applied, and the tooth is filled up and sealed.
When successful, a pulpotomy will heal the tooth and preserve the nerves and other structures, and ensure that it stays healthy until it falls out naturally to make room for your child’s adult teeth.
Cavities can be caused by the transmission of bacteria from a mother to her infant.
About 40 million Americans have lost all their teeth.
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