PROPER DENTAL CARE for KIDS and COMMON CHILD PROCEDURES

Table of Contents

-Introduction

-Common Questions about Child Dental Care

-Common Dental Procedures Children Have

– Possible Reasons for Procedures

-Conclusion

INTORDUCTION

As a dental assistant, I have come across many different issues and have been asked the same questions many times. What will follow are some of the different Questions that parents have and Procedures that children receive on a daily basis.

Every parent out there knows that most children don’t like to brush their teeth for one reason or another. They don’t like the toothpaste, or they have a sore spot somewhere in their mouth.

It all comes down to the visit to the dentist to really get good idea of what is REALLY going on inside their mouths.

If a child is in some sort of pain. Having a simple minded, a child can describe simple things in different and sometimes a difficult way that may not make since to most parents or the Doctor.

It may be a basic statement like ‘My tooth hurts’ or a difficult explanation like ‘It feels like here and here but only when…’.

The child may be in pain for a few Days or even Weeks because they can’t communicate the issue beyond ‘My mouth hurts’ and it can be difficult to get a striate answer out of them.

When they are at the dental appointment the issues that they are having will usually be brought up then.

Although some of those questions can be answered here.

The normal dental visit will usually they will usually get a Prophy ‘cleaning’ and an Exam ‘checkup’. There will usually be X-rays about once a year to ‘check in-between the teeth for cavities’ and Floride ‘Extra Vitamins to help prevent cavities.’

The Next section will be a Q/A of many common questions that parents have.

COMMON QUESTIONS

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• Is flossing really important?
  • Floss is used to get food out from interproximal ‘in-between’ the teeth.
  • The food in-between can cause decay to occur in the interproximal ‘in-between’ of the teeth.
  • Flossing can keep the gingiva ‘gums’ healthy if you don’t the gingiva can swell and bleed when touched.

• Â
• What can I do if my child is too upset to allow work to be done on their teeth?
  • There are different things that can be done for a Doctors office to make your child feel comfortable. These options are all at the comfort level of both the parent and child.Â
  • Â
  • Nitrous Oxide’ N2o’is one of the treatment options to help relax the child. It just relaxes the child and allows the Dentist and Assistant to work on them.Â
  • Â
  • Oral Sedation is usually a medicine that is taken by the child and sometimes paired together with N2o to put a child at ease. The child is usually awake or groggy.Â
  • Â
  • IV sedation is another option that will put a child to sleep and when they wake up, they usually won’t remember anything.

COMMON DENTAL PROCEDURES

Most of the procedures that are done on children are Fillings and Extractions of Baby Teeth.

• Fillings-involve the removal of the decay and replacing that missing area with material that will work as place of the missing tooth structure.

 

Here is a Step-by-step example of a Typical Filling procedure.

• • Step One– would be to place the Topical Gel to numb the area for Anesthesia.
  • Â
  • Step Two– Dental Anesthesia is used to numb the tooth and area that will be worked in.
  • Â
  • Step Three– Doctor will then Drill out tooth decay.
    • Usually, they will start with a Highspeed Hand Drill and then move to a Slow Speed Hand Drill.
    • Using Burs ‘like a drill bit’ to clean the decay from the tooth.
  • Â
  • Step Four– Etch is used to rough the area up on a much smaller scale.
    • It is used so that the Bond in the next step has something to grab on to.
  • Â
  • Step Five– Bond is used to help the Filling Material stay where it is placed for the filling.
  • Â
  • Step Six– Curing the bond is usually done with a ‘Light Cure’ hardens it like when someone gets their nails done.
  • Â
  • Step Seven– The Composite is what is usually what is used to fill a tooth.
    • There are some Doctors that still use Amalgam Fillings.
    • ** Personal choice on what Filling Materials you want to use**
  • Â
  • Step Eight– Checking the bite and making sure both sides are touching at the same time.
    • Even an Adult can have issues telling, but when a Child is numb it can be hard to tell.

 

• When all the steps are complete the child would be fine to leave and should be kept an eye on so that they don’t bite their lip while numb.
• Â
• Taking a pain killer after can help when the Anesthesia wares off. Ibuprofen or Tylenol will work if you don’t have any medical restrictions.
• Â
• Cold food can help wake the area up.
• Â
• Soft foods (Eggs, Ice cream, Mash Potatoes) recommended until they are no longer Numb to prevent the Lip, Cheek, or Tongue bitten.
• Â
• If child is taken back to school after appointment Parents should let school know that the child is numb just in case, they do bite or suck on their lip/cheek.

 

• EXTRACTION of BABY TEETH– Are for teeth that don’t have a chance of being saved. For whatever reason, the tooth is no longer able to be left in the mouth.
  • Step One– would be to place the Topical Gel to numb the area for Anesthesia.
  • Â
  • Step Two– Dental Anesthesia is used to numb the tooth and area that will be worked in. Most dentists use Lidocaine or Septocaine.Â
  • Â
  • Step Three– Doctor dislodges and separates the tooth from the Gingiva (Gum). This sounds bad but it is not as intense as it sounds. Â
  • Â
  • Step Four– The Doctor then usually uses Forceps to grab on to and extract the tooth.Â
  • Â
  • Step Five– Doctor makes sure all pieces of tooth are not left behind. Usually, most teeth extracted do come out in one piece there are occasions where the tooth does come out in pieces. This is usually a broken or decayed tooth will break apart.Â
  • Â
  • Step Six– Patient holds 2×2 cotton square in place to help clot area.
  • Â
• The calmer the child is during and after the procedure the sooner the area will clot.Â
• If you get home and the area is still bleeding, if you place a plan Tea Bag in the area and just have them hold onto it that could help clot the extraction sight. Â

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR PROCEDURES

• Poor brushing is the most common reason for decay to occur. If your child is like so many of the other out there, they don’t like to brush their teeth no matter what age they are.
• Â
• Having a lose tooth is another reason for a child to not want to brush in the area.
  • Fear of causing pain if brush in the area.
  • They may not like the feeling of the lose tooth moving or taste of blood.
• Â
• Some medications can cause damage to the teeth
• Â
• Accidents happen all the time and sometimes teeth are involved, thus causing the tooth issue to need to be fixed.
• Â
• When a child has a health condition (Behavior Disorder, ADHD) that the condition itself of the medications that they are given can affect their teeth.
• Â
• Teeth may need to be extracted due to Orthodontic reasons
  • Some teeth need to be removed in order for braces to be placed.
• Â
• Baby Teeth may need to be Extracted so that the Adult Tooth can come in.

CONCLUSION

These are some of the basic questions that parents have and some of the basic procedures that children go through.

Of course, talking to your dentist about these options and finding your own answers is always something that is encouraged because not every dentist works the same way and has their own way of doing things. This article is just some of the basic things that I have come across with working with parents and children.

Having the basics is a good place to start when you have questions about something, and I hope that this will help you find the answers to the questions you had.

Like I said before this article is about the basic questions and things that I have come across while working in the dental field over the years. Every child and issue are different, and things will change from case to case.

I hope that this has helped you with the question you had and direct your research for any other questions not covered in this article.Â

• How long should my child be brushing for?
  • Doctors have found that Two Minutes is long enough.
  • The child should Brush twice a day ‘Morning and Night’ and Floss at least once a day.
    • If the child is difficult with brushing, try to at least have them brush before bed. So that the child gets the days food and drink off their teeth.
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• When should we start taking our children to the dentist?
  • You can go when your child gets their First Tooth if you want to.
  • Most usually wait until the child is about Age Three.
  • If your child has an Accident, or you are Advised by another Doctor, then going to of course take them to the Dentist.
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• When should we start flossing?
  • About age Three. Typically, when the back Two Baby Molars or any teeth that are touching.
    • But if you can get in-between all of them, it will get them in a habit of flossing in-between All the teeth as they grow older.
• Â
• Â
• What toothpaste should I use?
  • Toothpaste is mostly a deodorant for the mouth.
    • **Unless the toothpaste contains a Medication, Whitening, Sensitivity treatment. **
  • Â
  • With your own research you can decide if you want to use Fluoride toothpaste or Non-fluoride toothpaste.
    • Choosing to use Floride or not is Your Decision in the end after all.
    • There are many different types of Toothpaste out there, but most are the same in many factors. So, it won’t matter much which one you pick.
• Â
• Â
• How Much toothpaste do you use?
  • Actually, not a lot of toothpaste is needed when brushing your child’s teeth.
  • With most children only a small smear is needed.
• Â
• Â
• What happens when the Adult Tooth starts to Erupt before the Baby tooth is out?
  • If the adult tooth is Erupting before the baby tooth is out, then the child needs to wiggle out the baby tooth in order to make room for the adult tooth.
  • If the baby tooth is not moving, then the Doctor may be needed to assist in the removal of the baby tooth.
• Â
• Â
• What do I do if my child is scared of pain when trying to remove a baby tooth?
  • A parent can use Orajel, or Orajel baby. This will help to numb the gingiva ‘gum’ in order to help remove the tooth
  • For the ones that want something more natural ‘Oil of Cloves’ is something that will with pain as well.Â
• Â
• Â
• I don’t allow my child to have sweets and try to cut out all sugars, but they still have cavities?
  • Most parents don’t think about the sugars that are in the Fresh Fruits that kids love to eat.
  • They have natural sugars that most don’t think about and when the teeth are exposed to it repeatedly throughout the day can cause decay.
  • Sports drinks and juice also cause decay as well.
• Â

• Is flossing really important?
  • Floss is used to get food out from interproximal ‘in-between’ the teeth.
  • The food in-between can cause decay to occur in the interproximal ‘in-between’ of the teeth.
  • Flossing can keep the gingiva ‘gums’ healthy if you don’t the gingiva can swell and bleed when touched.

• Â
• What can I do if my child is too upset to allow work to be done on their teeth?
  • There are different things that can be done for a Doctors office to make your child feel comfortable. These options are all at the comfort level of both the parent and child.Â
  • Â
  • Nitrous Oxide’ N2o’is one of the treatment options to help relax the child. It just relaxes the child and allows the Dentist and Assistant to work on them.Â
  • Â
  • Oral Sedation is usually a medicine that is taken by the child and sometimes paired together with N2o to put a child at ease. The child is usually awake or groggy.Â
  • Â
  • IV sedation is another option that will put a child to sleep and when they wake up, they usually won’t remember anything.

COMMON DENTAL PROCEDURES

Most of the procedures that are done on children are Fillings and Extractions of Baby Teeth.

• Fillings-involve the removal of the decay and replacing that missing area with material that will work as place of the missing tooth structure.

 

Here is a Step-by-step example of a Typical Filling procedure.

• • Step One– would be to place the Topical Gel to numb the area for Anesthesia.
  • Â
  • Step Two– Dental Anesthesia is used to numb the tooth and area that will be worked in.
  • Â
  • Step Three– Doctor will then Drill out tooth decay.
    • Usually, they will start with a Highspeed Hand Drill and then move to a Slow Speed Hand Drill.
    • Using Burs ‘like a drill bit’ to clean the decay from the tooth.
  • Â
  • Step Four– Etch is used to rough the area up on a much smaller scale.
    • It is used so that the Bond in the next step has something to grab on to.
  • Â
  • Step Five– Bond is used to help the Filling Material stay where it is placed for the filling.
  • Â
  • Step Six– Curing the bond is usually done with a ‘Light Cure’ hardens it like when someone gets their nails done.
  • Â
  • Step Seven– The Composite is what is usually what is used to fill a tooth.
    • There are some Doctors that still use Amalgam Fillings.
    • ** Personal choice on what Filling Materials you want to use**
  • Â
  • Step Eight– Checking the bite and making sure both sides are touching at the same time.
    • Even an Adult can have issues telling, but when a Child is numb it can be hard to tell.

 

• When all the steps are complete the child would be fine to leave and should be kept an eye on so that they don’t bite their lip while numb.
• Â
• Taking a pain killer after can help when the Anesthesia wares off. Ibuprofen or Tylenol will work if you don’t have any medical restrictions.
• Â
• Cold food can help wake the area up.
• Â
• Soft foods (Eggs, Ice cream, Mash Potatoes) recommended until they are no longer Numb to prevent the Lip, Cheek, or Tongue bitten.
• Â
• If child is taken back to school after appointment Parents should let school know that the child is numb just in case, they do bite or suck on their lip/cheek.

 

• EXTRACTION of BABY TEETH– Are for teeth that don’t have a chance of being saved. For whatever reason, the tooth is no longer able to be left in the mouth.
  • Step One– would be to place the Topical Gel to numb the area for Anesthesia.
  • Â
  • Step Two– Dental Anesthesia is used to numb the tooth and area that will be worked in. Most dentists use Lidocaine or Septocaine.Â
  • Â
  • Step Three– Doctor dislodges and separates the tooth from the Gingiva (Gum). This sounds bad but it is not as intense as it sounds. Â
  • Â
  • Step Four– The Doctor then usually uses Forceps to grab on to and extract the tooth.Â
  • Â
  • Step Five– Doctor makes sure all pieces of tooth are not left behind. Usually, most teeth extracted do come out in one piece there are occasions where the tooth does come out in pieces. This is usually a broken or decayed tooth will break apart.Â
  • Â
  • Step Six– Patient holds 2×2 cotton square in place to help clot area.
  • Â
• The calmer the child is during and after the procedure the sooner the area will clot.Â
• If you get home and the area is still bleeding, if you place a plan Tea Bag in the area and just have them hold onto it that could help clot the extraction sight. Â

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR PROCEDURES

• Poor brushing is the most common reason for decay to occur. If your child is like so many of the other out there, they don’t like to brush their teeth no matter what age they are.
• Â
• Having a lose tooth is another reason for a child to not want to brush in the area.
  • Fear of causing pain if brush in the area.
  • They may not like the feeling of the lose tooth moving or taste of blood.
• Â
• Some medications can cause damage to the teeth
• Â
• Accidents happen all the time and sometimes teeth are involved, thus causing the tooth issue to need to be fixed.
• Â
• When a child has a health condition (Behavior Disorder, ADHD) that the condition itself of the medications that they are given can affect their teeth.
• Â
• Teeth may need to be extracted due to Orthodontic reasons
  • Some teeth need to be removed in order for braces to be placed.
• Â
• Baby Teeth may need to be Extracted so that the Adult Tooth can come in.

CONCLUSION

These are some of the basic questions that parents have and some of the basic procedures that children go through.

Of course, talking to your dentist about these options and finding your own answers is always something that is encouraged because not every dentist works the same way and has their own way of doing things. This article is just some of the basic things that I have come across with working with parents and children.

Having the basics is a good place to start when you have questions about something, and I hope that this will help you find the answers to the questions you had.

Like I said before this article is about the basic questions and things that I have come across while working in the dental field over the years. Every child and issue are different, and things will change from case to case.

I hope that this has helped you with the question you had and direct your research for any other questions not covered in this article.Â