December 10, 2011 in Herro Blog by Dental On Central

All About Pediatric Dentistry

Don’t think we forgot about the little ones! Making sure our children’s teeth are protected is extremely important. Pediatric dentistry is the area of dentistry that is specifically designed for children from birth through adolescence. Pediatric dentists are dedicated to the oral health of children from infancy to their teen years. They have the experience and qualifications to properly care for a child’s teeth, gums, and mouth throughout the various stages of childhood.

Pediatric dentistry focuses on establishing trust between children and their dentists to encourage a child’s comfortability with dental visits. One of the main components of pediatric training is child psychology. Pediatric dentists develop trust through specialty office designs, specific communication styles and an emphasis on teaching preventative dental habits to children. These practices promote a more enjoyable dental experience for the child.

Along with general pediatric dentistry comes treating special needs pediatric patients. This would include patients with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism.

While it is true that baby teeth (primary teeth) are only in the mouth a short time, they play an imperative role by:

• Reserving space for their permanent counterparts
• Aiding in the development of clear speech
• Helping attain balanced nutrition (missing or decayed teeth make chewing difficult, which causes children to reject foods)
• Helping to provide healthy start to the permanent teeth (decay and infection in baby teeth can cause damage to the permanent teeth that are developing beneath them)

“Primary tooth eruption” refers to the beginning stage in the development process when the first teeth break the gums and become visible in the mouth. Things to know about this process are:

• For every 6 months of life, approximately 4 teeth will erupt
• Girls generally precede boys in tooth eruption
• Lower teeth usually erupt before upper teeth
• Teeth in both jaws usually erupt in pairs – one on the right and one on the left
• Primary teeth are smaller in size and whiter in color than the permanent teeth that will follow
• By the time a child is 2 to 3 years of age, all primary teeth should have erupted
• Shortly after age 4, the jaw and facial bones of the child begin to grow, creating spaces between the primary teeth. This is a perfectly natural growth process that provides the necessary space for the larger permanent teeth to emerge. Between the ages of 6 and 12, a mixture of both primary teeth and permanent teeth reside in the mouth.

Remember: a child’s dental development is a crucial part of life. Making sure children are raised with good oral hygiene habits can prevent risk in the future, so keep up on protecting those little smiles!