Tooth decay and abnormal teeth in young children are one of the concerns that worry parents because they do not want to see their little ones in pain or lose confidence. They may also wonder where to take their child to the dentist, whether it is okay to treat them with a regular adult dentist, or if it is better to see a pediatric dentist who specializes in children’s dentistry.
These questions can be resolved when we understand how “pediatric dentistry” differs from “adult dentistry,” which has 3 important points as follows:
3 Differences Between Pediatric Dentistry and Adult Dentistry
1. Children’s teeth are not the same as adult teeth
Therefore, different expertise of dentists is required
In fact, the structure of children’s teeth and adult teeth is different. Children’s teeth are baby teeth, while adult teeth are permanent teeth. Baby teeth are more prone to decay and decay faster. The teeth are smaller in size. Caring for baby teeth in children focuses on preventing tooth decay, which requires expertise in accurately assessing the risk of tooth decay because each child has different factors that cause tooth decay. Treatment planning for tooth decay or abnormal baby teeth problems in each child requires the expertise and experience of a pediatric dentist to ensure appropriate and effective care.
2. Children are more fearful than adults
Therefore, psychology must be used to assist in treatment
When dental problems occur, children cannot distinguish or communicate as clearly as adults. Children are fearful during treatment and often cannot control themselves. Therefore, the specialized expertise of the dentist is needed to use psychology to communicate with children, understand their emotions and expressions, and manage the treatment situation smoothly, which is more complex and complicated than adult dentistry.
3. Continuous follow-up care is required after treatment
Children are constantly growing, so dental care for children requires continuous follow-up. For children aged 0-6 years, pediatric dentists focus on educating parents about proper tooth brushing, timely weaning from the bottle, and foods that cause tooth decay.
For primary school children aged 6-12 years, this is the age when baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth erupt. Therefore, regular visits to the pediatric dentist are necessary to prevent or reduce the severity of problems with tooth alignment or abnormal bite, including timely fissure sealant application on permanent molars.
Although the teeth are small, pediatric dentistry
involves more work than you think
Although children’s teeth are very small and fewer in number than adults, pediatric dentistry involves a variety of tasks that parents should know and understand to help care for their little ones’ dental health as follows:
1. Dental health check-ups
Children’s dental check-ups serve both as screening to plan early treatment and as care to maintain healthy teeth as the child grows. The expertise and attentiveness of the dentist, along with the knowledge of the parents, can determine how well the child will grow with a full set of well-aligned, strong teeth. Children should see a dentist for the first time when their first baby tooth erupts or at the latest by their first birthday so that parents can learn how to care for and prevent tooth decay in their children.
2. Providing advice on oral health care
Since children are not with the dentist all the time and parents cannot care for their children’s teeth 100%, it is very important to instill in children an understanding of how to care for their teeth and oral health properly. Pediatric dentists use psychology to communicate, teach children to love their dental health, brush their teeth correctly, and take good care of their teeth independently. For young children, dentists teach parents how to care for and clean baby teeth from the time the first tooth erupts.
3. Preventing tooth decay according to each child’s risk
Each child has different tooth structures, varying tooth strength, and different risk behaviors for tooth decay. For example, some children eat a lot of sweets, some do not like brushing or brush incorrectly, and some need to take medication, which may affect tooth strength. With the expertise of pediatric dentists, the risk of tooth decay can be accurately assessed, leading to effective treatment and prevention planning.
4. Fluoride application
Fluoride application is a procedure that helps prevent tooth decay and strengthens teeth. Pediatric dentists assess each child’s risk of tooth decay and consider the appropriate frequency and type of fluoride to use.
5. Fissure sealant application
Permanent molars or baby molars with deep grooves on the chewing surface are prone to decay quickly. To prevent this, fissure sealant is applied by sealing the grooves with resin to prevent food debris from getting stuck, reducing the risk of tooth decay in children.
6. Tooth fillings
Many people may think fillings are unnecessary in children because baby teeth will eventually fall out. However, if decayed baby teeth are left untreated, the decay can spread to the pulp causing inflammation at the root tip. Filling teeth in children faces challenges in communication and self-control as children may be restless due to fear of drilling and filling. Therefore, pediatric dentists and assistants use psychology to communicate to successfully fill teeth without harm to the child.
7. Baby tooth root canal treatment
If a child’s tooth decay is severe and cannot be treated with fillings, baby tooth root canal treatment is an option to save the tooth and relieve pain. Parents may feel that extracting the decayed baby tooth is easier and cheaper since permanent teeth will replace them anyway. However, this must be considered on a case-by-case basis because the timing of permanent tooth eruption varies. Extracting a baby tooth too early before the permanent tooth is ready to erupt may cause crowding problems later.
8. Crowns
Crowns in children are done when the decay is too extensive for fillings. There are various types of crowns depending on the material used, such as ceramic crowns or silver metal crowns. Baby tooth crowns are used to restore decayed teeth and allow chewing until the permanent teeth erupt. If decayed baby teeth are left untreated and extracted before permanent teeth erupt, it may lead to crowding problems.
9. Scaling
Scaling is done to remove tartar buildup on teeth, reducing the risk of gum disease, keeping teeth clean, strong, and free of bad breath. Scaling in children is only done for those who have tartar because most children only have plaque that can be removed with polishing using a rubber cup and polishing paste.
10. Baby tooth extraction
Extraction is the last resort recommended by dentists when baby teeth cannot be saved by any treatment. It requires expertise to diagnose whether the tooth can still be treated with fillings or root canal therapy and to check if the permanent tooth is about to erupt. If a baby tooth is extracted and the permanent tooth does not erupt within 6 months, the dentist may consider placing a space maintainer in that position.
11. Space maintainer placement
This is an important part of pediatric dentistry because it helps children have well-aligned, beautiful teeth. Often, baby teeth fall out prematurely before permanent teeth erupt. Using a space maintainer preserves the space between teeth so that permanent teeth can erupt normally in their natural, proper positions.
12. Treatment planning and prevention of crowding and malocclusion in children
Some children may have tooth decay, premature loss of baby teeth, or abnormal jaw structure, which can lead to crossbite or crowding problems in the future. One of the roles of pediatric dentists is to detect abnormalities in tooth alignment and bite and coordinate with orthodontists to plan appropriate prevention or treatment.
Not all dental problems can be treated by any dentist because the structure of children’s teeth differs from adults. The problems and treatment approaches require special expertise. Therefore, for parents whose children have tooth decay or abnormal teeth, it is better to choose a pediatric dentist who specializes in children’s dentistry to receive proper, safe, and appropriate care for their children’s dental health.
