Pediatric Dentistry FAQs

Radiographs (x-rays) are a necessary part of your child's dental diagnostic process. Without them, certain cavities between the teeth may be missed. They also help survey developing teeth, evaluate results an injury, or plan for orthodontic treatment. If dental problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable for your child, and more affordable for you.

On average, our office will request bitewing radiographs approximately once a year and panoramic radiographs every 3-5 years. In children with a high risk of tooth decay, the frequency of radiographs may change.

With contemporary safeguards, the amount of radiation received in a dental x-ray examination is extremely small. The risk is negligible. In fact, the dental radiographs represent a far smaller risk than an undetected and untreated dental problem. Lead body aprons and shields will protect your child. Today's equipment restricts the beam to the area of interest. Our office also employs digital radiography which allows us to decrease further the amount of radiation exposure.

A sealant is a clear material that is applied to the chewing surfaces (grooves) for the back teeth (premolars and molars), where most cavities in children can form. This sealant acts as a barrier to food, plaque, and acid, thus protecting the decay-prone areas of the teeth. However, cavities between the teeth are not protected by sealants.

If your child has a cavity, a filling is placed after the caries is removed. Most of the time, the filling is a tooth colored (white). In our practice, when a tooth needs a filling, a sealant is placed over the filling and the remaining tooth for added protection.

In a primary tooth, if a cavity is too large to restore with a filling, a crown may be recommend. If the cavity is too large and has involved the nerve of the tooth, then the nerve will be removed (pulpotomy) along with the cavity, and a crown will be placed. For front teeth, white crowns are routinely used for aesthetics. For back teeth, stainless steel crowns are used for their durability and longevity. The purpose of the crown is to help provide structure for the tooth, to help maintain space for permanent teeth to erupt properly, and to help protect the remaining tooth.

It's very important to know what is causing your child's tooth ache. If you see swelling around the tooth or a cavity, please call us, we need to see your child as soon as possible.

If the above option is not available, rinse the mouth with warm salt water or use dental floss to dislodge impacted food or debris. Over the counter pain medication in the recommended dosage can be helpful with pain but the child needs to see a pediatric dentist.

DO NOT place aspirin on the gum or on the aching tooth. If the face is swollen, it is a real emergency, DO NOT WAIT. Schedule a visit with Dr. Arti immediately.

Inspect for other injuries. Find the fracture fragment (important to inspect that the fractured fragment is not impacted in the lip or cheek).

Rinse debris from injured area with warm water if possible. Place cold compresses over the face in the area of injury. Locate and save any broken tooth fragments in milk. Contact Dr. Arti as soon as possible.

Whenever he or she is in an activity with a risk of falls or of head contact with other players or equipment. This includes football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, skateboarding, even gymnastics.

Some malocclusions or dentitions are more prone to trauma, e.g. when the teeth are more forwardly placed or there is spacing between the teeth. Until the child is ready for braces, to correct the alignment, mouthguards can be useful. In some situations, a custom made mouthguard is more beneficial.

Brushing our teeth removes food particles, plaque, and bacteria from all tooth surfaces, except in between the teeth.  Unfortunately, our toothbrush can’t reach these areas that are highly susceptible to decay and periodontal (gum) disease.

Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gumline.  Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.

Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth.  It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva.  The bacteria produce toxins (acids) that cause cavities and irritate and inflame the gums.  Also, when plaque is not removed above and below the gumline, it hardens and turns into calculus (tartar).  This will further irritate and inflame the gums and will also slowly destroy the bone. This is the beginning of periodontal disease.

How to floss properly:

• Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.
• Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
• Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gumline.  Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.

Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.

Daily flossing will help you keep a healthy, beautiful smile for life!

Straighter teeth perform chewing, biting, and speaking functions more effectively than crooked teeth.   In addition, a straight smile boosts confidence, is aesthetically pleasing to look at, and can help stave off a wide variety of dental ailments.

There are several types of malocclusion including overbite, underbite, crossbite, and overcrowding.  Each of these alignment problems negatively impacts the functionality and cosmetic appearance of the teeth.

Here is a brief overview of some of the main disorders associated with crooked teeth:

Periodontitis – Periodontitis or gum disease begins with a bacterial infection.  The bacterial infection is caused by inadequate oral hygiene. Crooked teeth are hard to effectively clean, which means that debris, plaque, and bacteria can build up in hard-to-reach areas. Straight teeth are much easier to clean and are at less risk of contracting gum disease.

Temporomandibular Disorder (TMJ) - Crooked teeth can lead to improper jaw alignment, which in turn causes a painful condition known as TMJ. Severe headaches, jaw pain, lockjaw, and grinding of teeth characterize this debilitating disorder. 

Tooth injury – Straight teeth create a strong wall, which means injuries are less likely to occur.  Crooked teeth are weaker and often protrude, making them far more vulnerable to external injury.

Uneven wear – Crooked teeth cause some of the teeth to work harder than others when biting and chewing.  Straight teeth share the workload evenly, meaning less risk of injury and better aesthetics.

Teeth can be straightened using either orthodontic braces or customized aligning trays.  Orthodontic braces are usually affixed to the teeth for a set duration.  The brackets and archwires are tightened regularly by the orthodontist and removed when treatment is complete.  Fixed braces can be placed on the front side or back side of the teeth and are effective for most types of malocclusion.

Aligning trays are fully removable and are used where the malocclusion is less severe, and the teeth need to move a shorter distance.  These trays are replaced every few weeks for the duration of the treatment, and have proven to be equally effective for straightening teeth.

If you have questions about orthodontics and straightening teeth, please contact our office.