Odontología infantil

Your child’s first visit

El primero “regular” dental visit should be just after your child’s third birthday. La primera visita dental es generalmente corta y muy poco tratamiento. We may ask you to sit in the dental chair and hold your child during the examination. You may also be asked to wait in the reception area during part of the visit so that your dentist and child can build a relationship. 

Dr.. Mike, Dr.. Janet, and our dental team will gently examine your child’s teeth and gums. X-rays may be taken to reveal decay and check on the progress of your child’s permanent teeth under the gums. We may clean your child’s teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect the teeth against decay. We will make sure your child is receiving adequate fluoride at home. Most importantly, we will review with you how to clean and care for your child’s teeth.

What should I tell my child about the first dental visit?

We are asked this question many times. We suggest you prepare your child the same way you would before his or her first haircut or trip to the shoe store. Your child’s reaction to his or her visit with us may surprise you.

During your child’s first visit, Dr.. Mike o Dr.. Janet will:

• Gently examine your child’s mouth, dientes, y las encías.
• Evaluate adverse habits like thumb sucking.
• Check to see if fluoride is needed.
• Reinforce the cleaning of teeth and gums.
• Suggest a schedule for regular dental visits.

What about preventative care?

Tooth decay and children no longer have to go hand in hand. At our office, we are most concerned with all aspects of preventive care. We use the latest in dental sealant technology to protect your child’s teeth. Dental sealants are advanced plastics that bond to the chewing surfaces of decay-prone back teeth. This is just one of the ways we will set the foundation for your child’s lifetime of good oral health.

Cavity prevention

Most of the time cavities are due to a diet high in sugary foods and a lack of brushing. Limiting sugar intake and maintaining regular brushing can help. The longer it takes your child to chew their food and the longer the residue stays on their teeth, the greater the chances of getting cavities.

Every time someone eats, an acid reaction occurs inside their mouth as the bacteria digests the sugars. This reaction lasts approximately 20 minutes. During this time, the acid environment can destroy the tooth structure, eventually leading to cavities.

Consistency of a person’s saliva also makes a difference; thinner saliva breaks up and washes away food more quickly. When a person eats diets high in carbohydrates and sugars they tend to have thicker saliva, which in turn allows more of the acid-producing bacteria that can cause cavities.

The first baby teeth that come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. You will notice this when your baby is about 6-8 meses de edad. Next to follow will be the 4 upper front teeth and the remainder of your baby’s teeth will appear periodically. They will usually appear in pairs along the sides of the jaw until the child is about 2 1/2 años de edad.

At around 2 1/2 years old your child should have all 20 dientes. Between the ages of 5 y 6, the first permanent teeth will begin to erupt. Some of the permanent teeth replace baby teeth and some don’t. Don’t worry if some teeth are a few months early or late as all children are different.

Baby teeth are important as they not only hold space for permanent teeth, but they are important to chewing, biting, speech, and appearance. For this reason, it is important to maintain a healthy diet and daily hygiene.