Dental Services for Children

Mom and Dad, start early

As soon as your baby is born, gently clean your baby’s gums after each feedings with a soft, damp washcloth. Make this a part of your routine and help your little ones build a lifetime of good oral habits.

Dental Services for Children

Take your child to the dentist as soon as you welcome your baby’s first milk tooth or by his or her first birthday.

This way, your child’s dentist gets a better chance of preventing any dental problems.
Morning appointments are best for your child’s first visit. Coming from a good night’s sleep, your child is more rested and much more cooperative in the morning. Also, morning appointments will not pose conflicts on your child’s mealtimes or naps.

Dental Services for Infants

At an infant’s first oral exam (strongly recommended for 6-12 month olds), Dr.Iman Nazzal the pediatric dental specialists in  European Dental Center will:
Evaluate your infant’s oral health.
Provide education about cleaning baby teeth & gums.
Discuss the effects of bottle feeding, nursing, & baby food on your infant’s teeth.

Discuss growth & development of a healthy mouth.

Dental Services for Children & Adolescents

Our services include:

• Comprehensive oral evaluation.
• Assessment of risk of tooth decay.
• Teeth cleaning.
• Fluoride treatments and teeth mousse.
• Sealants.
• Tooth-colored fillings and stainless steel crowns.
• Space maintainers (to save space for adult teeth).
• mouth guards for athletes .

The European dental center uses the latest technology to detect and diagnose caries that cannot be seen clinically or even in the x-ray by using the carioscan device from the German company Orange Dental.

this device helps to detect dental caries in a very early stage and that will help to either prevent the disease or to treat it and stop the progression in a very early stage in order to maintain a good oral and dental health.

Parents should be asking for sealants and not taking no for an answer.

Today, it is possible to raise a child without tooth decay. But to achieve this, parents must provide effective oral care and health practices from infancy.

Dental sealants

Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are painted on the chewing surfaces of one or more teeth to avoid dental caries. They are more commonly applied to the back teeth; the molars and premolars where decay occurs most often.
Sealants work best if applied soon after these molars emerge, that means children between 5 and 15 years old would benefit most from sealants.
These are usually applied twice – at age 6, when the first molars come in, and when the second molars erupt, around age 12.
Single application of dental sealants has been found to be about 80-90% effective after one year and about 55-85% effective after 8-10 years, with only a small percentage becoming decayed.
As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from cavities.
Sealants normally hold up well may last several years before a reapplication is needed.
Your dentist will check the condition of your child’s sealants and reapply them when necessary during regular appointments.
Brushing and flossing alone cannot always get into all the pits in the teeth and the hard-to-reach areas in the mouth.

Dental sealants act as a perfect barrier to prevent your kids from painful cavities.
Give us a call if you think you need sealants for your kids. We’ll be happy to help them have a lifetime of healthy and cavity-free smile!

Tooth MOUSSE

Tooth Mousse will be beneficial for patients of all ages. The calcium and phosphate will help to replace lost minerals from the tooth surface so regular application will aid the strengthening of teeth and protect them from potential dental decay and erosion.
Tooth Mousse Plus is recommended for patients age above 6 as it contains a similar level of fluoride found in adult-strength toothpastes.
For children under 6 years of age, fluoride-free Tooth Mousse will be a better alternative.
Both Tooth Mousse and Tooth Mousse Plus should not be used by anyone with milk protein allergies or sensitivity to benzoate preservatives.

Fluoride

Fluoride is said to protect the teeth in two ways:

Protection from demineralization – when bacteria in the mouth combine with sugars they produce acid. This acid can erode tooth enamel and damage our teeth. Fluoride can protect teeth from demineralization that is caused by the acid.
Remineralization – if there is already some damage to teeth caused by acid, fluoride accumulates in the demineralized areas and begins strengthening the enamel, a process called remineralization.
Fluoride is extremely useful in preventing cavities and making teeth stronger.

SSCs have been used extensively to restore damaged milk teeth. This is because:

• Since the SSC are preformed crowns, they resemble the crown of the tooth, and so when placed on the tooth, they can perform the same functions that a tooth can.
• When the time comes for the milk tooth to fall off to give way for the permanent tooth, the SSC falls off easily without causing any damage to the gums; and the life expectancy of these crowns is better than any other material used and may never have to be replaced until the tooth falls out.
• The tooth has been severely damaged due to dental caries and may or may not have to undergo pulp treatment.
• When the crown of the tooth has been fractured or broken due to any reason; Some teeth are abnormal from birth or due to other diseases causing the need for a crown.

Children who have a high rate of dental caries; and when no other restoration material can be used and SSCs become an obvious choice e.g. for children who are physically or mentally disabled.

Baby teeth are important

Baby teeth are important because they:

• Save and guard the area where the permanent tooth will erupt guide the permanent tooth into position
  help your child chew and speak.
• Encourage normal jawbone and facial muscle development.
• Some children lose their primary (milk or baby) teeth too soon.
• A prematurely empty space in the mouth can cause your child’s permanent tooth to come in crookedly.
• Baby teeth normally stay until the permanent ones push them out and take their place.
• Unfortunately a tooth may be knocked out accidentally or removed due to tooth decay or abscess.
• When this happens, your pediatric dentist may advise a space maintainer to ‘save’ the space for permanent teeth and prevent future orthodontic problems.

Just because a child’s milk teeth are bound to fall out eventually on their own, doesn’t mean parents can be less attentive to carrying out early oral health habits. Remember, some baby teeth are not replaced until a child is 12 or 14 years old.

How can a space maintainer help?

A space maintainer will hold open the empty space left by a lost or removed tooth. It’s made to keep the remaining teeth steady, preventing movement (drifting or tipping) until the permanent tooth takes its natural position in the jaw.
It’s unobtrusive and most children easily adjust to them after the first few days.
Space maintainers are a lot more affordable than having to correct teeth back in place with more extensive orthodontic treatments.

What are the steps for space maintainer care?

Make sure your child avoids hard foods, sticky sweets or chewing gum. These can loosen the band or get caught in the wires.
Don’t tug or push or try to bend the wire of the space maintainer with your fingers or tongue.
Teeth should be brushed after each meal and clean the teeth with bands especially well.
Continue regular visits to your dentists.
Brushing your child’s teeth should not be a daily rendition of an atrocious horror story. If it’s such a struggle getting your child to brush his teeth, you are not alone.

Having your young one embrace the early habit of cleaning his teeth may be a challenging task, but it is certainly an important one. Your child may respond differently to the usual brushing techniques other children his age would, so you may need to add a dose of creativity to get your child brushing in no time.

Make toothbrush shopping special. Let your child pick out his own toothbrush. Colored, cartoon themed or even those that light up when squeezed – there are plenty of choices available in the market. Alternatively, you can buy identically colored toothbrush just for you and your little one.

Practice makes perfect For Dental Services for Children

Let your child enjoy brushing the teeth of his favorite stuffed animal. You may even let him brush yours! When he’s done, give him a chance to brush his own teeth. Be sure to follow up with ‘polishing touches’ to make sure his teeth and gums are thoroughly cleaned.
Show your child that brushing is fun. If he’s hesitant about letting you brush his teeth, let him watch you as you carefully brush yours. Children love to copy what adults do and this could be the key to getting him engaged in taking care of his own oral health.
Add spice to the routine. While he tries to brush his teeth, make up silly words and dance along!
Brush away the pinky plaque. Give chewable tablets that turn plaque pink a try, and playfully persuade him to brush away the color with his toothbrush.
Name that tooth. Make him understand that each member of his pearly whites is important. Let your child give each tooth a nickname and remind him that not a single toothy character should be left out.
Be your child’s very own tooth fairy. Don’t forget to praise your child and reward him for a job well done!
Flavor counts. Let him choose the flavor that appeal to his taste. This could be the single most important key to getting him hooked on brushing. Also, be sure to use toothpaste that’s specially made for kids.