Pediatric Dentistry

TREATMENTS OFFERED

RESTORATIONS

When a child’s tooth is decayed, it becomes important to remove the decay and restore it before the decay involves the pulp of the tooth and bring the child extreme discomfort and pain. The natural tooth anatomy that is destroyed by the caries is redone by the filling, which the paediatric dentist would suggest is the best for your child. It could be fluoride releasing GIC restorations or composite restorations or strip crowns.

We also have a unique concept of coloured fillings!!A coloured filling done in the primary tooth of your tiny tot, sparks their interest and increases their willingness to co-operate.By allowing them to choose the colour of their choice, these fillings serve as a very valuable motivational tool!!

FISSURE SEALANTS

The surface of the tooth is not smooth but has deep grooves, pits and fissures on it.This is the area of maximum food lodgement and hence in danger of caries attack. The paediatric dentist at Gums N Smiles suggest fissure sealants for the same.

Fissure sealants are white fluoride enriched varnish (coatings)that are painted onto the biting surface of the back teeth .They are thin flowing composite materials applied into the fine grooves and pits on the surface of a tooth, thereby preventing food lodgement, bacterial activity and decays. A fissure sealant reduces the risk of decay 6 times as compared to a tooth without one!!!

FLUORIDE TREATMENT

Fluoride is a natural mineral that is found in many foods and in some drinking water. Fluoride is an essential trace element that strengthens the dental health by hardening tooth enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay. It also reduces the amount of acid that the bacteria produce on your teeth.
The amount of fluoride that we acquire from our daily diet is mostly insufficient. Hence additional fluoride application is advised by the paediatric dentists to the parents in a form that is best suited to their child.

They are applied on the teeth in the form of varnishes, gels or foams. These treatments contain a much higher level of fluoride than the one found in toothpastes and mouth rinses, thereby making the tooth enamel resistant to bacterial attack.

ENDODONTICS AND PULP THERAPY

“Root canal” for my child!!” That’s probably the most scariest word a parent must have ever heard. However, there are many reasons why even a deciduous tooth sometimes need a root canal treatment.

A tooth decay can cause the nerve of the tooth to be infected, even when the cavity seems to be small to the naked eye. This infection besides bringing a lot of pain to the child can also damage the permanent tooth bud lying at the base of the root of the deciduous tooth. It is therefore important to the treat the ailing tooth.

Why root canal and not just remove it, as sooner or later its going to fall off ?

Besides helping the child in chewing, phonetics (speech), the milk tooth also serves as a guide map for the permanent tooth to erupt. It therefore becomes very important to preserve the milk tooth. A root canal or endodontic(pulp therapy) is advocated wherein the infected nerve tissue of the tooth is gently removed and replaced with anti-bacterial filling material.

Will the child co-operate / sit through the treatment and what about pain ?

With the paediatric dentist at Gums N Smiles ,following various behaviour modification techniques, a child gladly sits through the entire sitting.The pain perspective is usually taken care by local anaesthesia.

CROWNS AND SPACE MAINTAINERS

Crowns or caps, are usually needed for a child when a gross amount of tooth structure is lost. It could be because of large cavities or any other enamel defects. Also, the teeth need to be crowned after a pulp therapy or root canal treatment.

It is primarily very important to ensure that the permanent teeth have enough space to erupt, as loss of the primary tooth can cause space problems in the jaw!

The stainless steel crowns (S S CROWNS) are pre-fabricated silver coloured crowns, mainly for the molars. They maintain the chewing function of the tooth till the permanent teeth erupt.(the material of the crowns is high quality stainless steel, just like the ones used in fixed braces for older children, and no allergies are known to happen!)

Crowns for the front teeth are available in many types. There are S S CROWNS with white acrylic facing, making them look like just your toddlers pearlies.
STRIP CROWNS are tiny little pre-formed caps that are used t form the crown. The strip crowns are filled with composite and like a filling the remnant of the tooth is restored!

SPACE MAINTAINERS , are required when the child loses the milk tooth much before the permanent teeth are ready to erupt. These space maintainers (fixed/removable) help to guide the eruption of the permanent teeth in their precise position and avoid crowding!

DIET COUNSELLING

To implement good eating habits from an early age is very important to secure their oral health for life.A child needs to be (not only advised but)made aware of the detrimental effects of unhealthy snacking.So commuicating your childs diet and eating patterns gives us the opportunity to help you protect their teeth from cavities and decays.

We ask about your childs current nutrition habits in order to pointout the good habits and bad /do’s and donts!