Triangle Pediatric Dentistry

This blog is intended to educate and make readers a little more informed about topics related to pediatric dentistry. All of the information contained here should be considered to be my opinion only and you may find others that have opinions that differ from mine. I will discuss topics in broad terms and the information should not be taken as a diagnosis or treatment recommendation for any condition that your child may have. If you have a specific question about a dental condition that your child may have then you should discuss it directly during an office visit with a pediatric dentist. -Dr. Buddy

The age one dental visit

April 29 2010

One of the most frequent questions that I hear as a pediatric dentist is, “When should I start bringing my child to the dentist?” The answer: around the time of your child’s first birthday. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Dental Association all recommend that children have their first dental visits and establish a dental home around the time of their first birthday. A dental home is a place where comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated, compassionate oral health care is available and delivered by qualified child health specialists. Establishing a dental home is a more cost-effective and higher quality oral health care alternative to emergency care situations because dental problems can be prevented or detected before they develop into more serious conditions. Also, the dentist is able to coordinate oral health care needs among dental specialists, pediatricians, ENTs, and other medical specialists.

After I tell parents to bring in their one year olds for dental exams the comment that often follows is “but my child doesn’t have many teeth yet”. This may be true but the purpose of the first dental visit for a young child goes much deeper than just taking a look at the teeth. While I enjoy looking at the child’s teeth, much of the benefit of the first dental visit actually comes from talking with the child’s parents. The focus during the first dental visit is to gather information that can be used to create a preventive program that addresses the unique issues that affect a young child’s oral health. I do this through anticipatory guidance where I assess a child’s risk factors for oral disease, anticipate the potential oral health problems that a child may encounter based on these risk factors, and guide the parent towards ways to avoid these potential problems.

Both my assistants and I do a lot of talking with the parents at the first visit but I do also like to look at the child’s teeth. Most of the infant and toddler exams that I do take place in an infant room where I am able to bypass the potentially intimidating exam in a dental chair in favor of a more comforting “knee-to-knee” exam. For a knee-to-knee exam the child sits in his/her parent’s lap and the parent can lean the child’s head back towards the dentist’s lap for a quick examination of the teeth and jaws. This allows me to determine if there are any signs of dental disease present and I can even sometimes make some early predictions on the need for orthodontics in the future. We can also demonstrate proper brushing technique for your child so that you can keep his/her teeth properly cleaned at home.

After examining the child’s teeth and talking with the parent the dental team can provide the following:

A program of preventive home care including brushing, flossing, diet, and the importance of fluorides
A cavities risk assessment
Information about early childhood cavities which may be caused by certain nursing habits or inappropriate use of bottles or sippy cups
Facts about finger, thumb and pacifier habits
What you need to know about preventing injuries to the mouth and teeth
Information on growth and development of the teeth and jaws

Remember to get your child started early at the dentist’s office. By starting early we have a better chance at stopping cavities before they can even form!

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