Pedodontics (Children)

Pedodontics: Specializing in the treatment of children's teeth. It’s an age-defined specialty that provides both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special care needs. See our Tooth Charts Page for more information on tooth eruption and development for children.

As we all know, from broken teeth to broken bones, childhood accidents unfortunately happen. Listed below are just a few helpful and important tips to ensure your child gets through any dental accident in the safest way possible. Make sure you call your dentist or other health care provider immediately following any emergency and seek dental/medical attention as soon as possible.

For a dental emergency after hours, please call 425-338-2725.

Your Child's First Dental Visit?

The first dental visit is usually short and involves very little treatment. This visit gives your child an opportunity to meet the dentist in a non-threatening and friendly way. Some dentists may ask the parent to sit in the dental chair and hold their child during the examination. The parent may also be asked to wait in the reception area during part of the visit so that a relationship can be built between your child and your dentist.

During the examination, your dentist will check all of your child's existing teeth for decay, examine your child's bite, and look for any potential problems with the gums, jaw, and oral tissues. If indicated, the dentist or hygienist will clean any teeth and assess the need for fluoride. He or she will also educate parents about oral health care basics for children and discuss dental developmental issues and answer any questions.

Topics your dentist may discuss with you might include:

Good oral hygiene practices for your child's teeth and gums and cavity prevention
Fluoride needs
Oral habits (thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, lip sucking)
Developmental milestones
Teething
Proper nutrition
Schedule of dental check up visits. Many dentists like to see children every 6 months to build up the child's comfort and confidence level in visiting the dentist, to monitor the development of the teeth, and promptly treat any developing problems.

You will be asked to complete medical and health information forms concerning the child during the first visit. Come prepared with the necessary information.

Avulsed (knocked-out) Teeth

Causes:

Tooth accidents are commonly caused by:

	Accidental falls
	Sports-related trauma
	Fighting
	Car accidents
	Biting on hard food

First Aid Procedures

1. Do find the tooth.
2. Don't touch the tooth's roots. Handle the tooth only by its crown.
3. Don't attempt to clean the tooth.
4. Do wrap the tooth lightly in glad wrap or store it in milk.
5. Do Seek dental help immediately, it's essential that the tooth be replaced within 30 minutes to ensure its best chance at survival.

Chipped Teeth

Check to see if your child is experiencing pain or sensitivity in the tooth. If they are, call your dentist and seek treatment immediately. If your child is experiencing discomfort, the tooth's nerve may be injured. Your dentist may perform a root canal to save the tooth; a porcelain veneer or sculpted resin may applied to restore the tooth.

If your child is not experiencing any pain or sensitivity, contact your dentist to see if your child should be seen right away or whether a scheduled appointment can be arranged. Usually chipped teeth aren’t considered emergencies and do not require immediate treatment.

Prevention

Mouth guards. If your children are in contact sports (i.e.. hockey, football, soccer, etc.), have your dentist make them a mouth guard or pick up a performed one at your local sports supply store. They act as shock absorbers for the teeth and help too avoid fractures. There are four types of mouth guards: stock, boil and bite, vacuum custom made and pressure laminated. Please check out this website for some detailed sports dentistry information; http://www.sportsdentistry.com/mouthguards.html . Please feel free to Ask Dr. Ganzkow which type would be the best for your sports enthusiast.

Water Fountains - Kids have a surprising tendency to bump into each other while drinking from water fountains. Tell your kids to watch out - this happens all the time.

Permanent Teeth. If knocked-out, a permanent tooth can be replaced in the socket by your dentist; most have a fair chance of surviving. Every minute the tooth is out of the socket decreases the chance of its survival.

Deciduous (Baby) Teeth. If a deciduous tooth is avulsed, do not place it back in the socket. Deciduous teeth which have been replaced tend to fuse to the bony socket and present with difficulties when it's time for the tooth to exfoliate (fall-out). Also, there's a risk of damaging the permanent tooth underneath when the deciduous tooth is replaced.

Here's a good link for dental emergencies at home:

http://firstaid.webmd.com/broken_or_knocked-out_teeth_treatment_firstaid.htm