KIDS DENTISTRY

Paediatric Dentistry Clinic

Welcome to one of the few centres with "INHALATIONAL SEDATION"

Sedation Dentistry
Preventive Dental Care

E-Consult Get a Quote Book an Appointment

Kids Dentistry

SEE YOUR CHILD SMILING ON DENTAL CHAIR!

Kids dentistry deals with children from birth to adolescence. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that a child should have his first dental visit within six months of the occurrence of the first tooth or by a child's first birthday.

We, at Indiadens believe that early oral examination of your child will aid in the detection of the early stages of tooth decay. This will ensure that your child is able to maintain good oral health, modify aberrant habits if any and get the required treatment as simply and comfortably as possible. Getting early and regular dental check-ups will help your child develop a confident attitude towards their dental hygiene.

Comprehensive Oral Evaluation and Assessment Using Advanced Diagnostics

A basic examination of the child’s oral health including the teeth and gums is performed. If required, diagnostic radiographs are taken by PSP technology minimizing the radiation exposure to the child.

Sedation Dentistry

It is used in kids of five or more years of age, inhalation sedation is a completely safe and mild way to relieve a child’s anxiety during dental treatment. It makes him/her feel relaxed and accept the treatment. It is carried out by making the child inhale a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen (laughing gas or happy air) through a small nose piece fitted onto the child’s nose. This technology is widely used in developed countries like the USA, Singapore etc and is being put to use at INDIADENS for the benefit of our patients, especially apprehensive kids.

Dental Fillings

Even though milk teeth do not last forever, they stay in your child’s mouth for a period of about 6-14 years until all the permanent teeth are out, so that they can guide the adult teeth in correct positions and with enough space. Thus, preserving teeth's health is an essential aspect for both baby teeth and adult teeth.

There are two kinds of fillings for children depending on the extent of the decay, tooth’s prognosis:

Composite – A filling that matches with the shade of the tooth, composite filling material immediately hardens with the help of blue light. It is a technique-sensitive material and requires complete cooperation of the child.
Fluoride fillings/Glass ionomer cement – It is a fluoride-releasing, biocompatible material which chemically bonds to the tooth surface. It is used in kids who have a high risk of tooth decay or who are relatively less co-operative.

Root Canal Treatment

As explained in the previous section, saving a baby tooth is equally important as saving a fully developed adult tooth. Each baby tooth maintains the space for the adult tooth that will erupt from underneath, and all teeth do not fall out at the same time. If a baby tooth falls out due to gross decay, the remaining teeth will shift into its position to fill the space and that can in turn, affect the final alignment of the permanent teeth.

If the child’s tooth is damaged (by an injury, accident or infection) the nerves and blood vessels (pulp tissue) that fill the tooth roots get affected and the tooth will require a root canal treatment. The pulp tissue space is first cleaned with small instruments and then filled with a sterile material. The tooth cavity is filled with a filling material and usually covered with a tooth alike(zirconia) or stainless-steel crown to protect the tooth from fracturing until the adult tooth erupts. All instructions will be provided for the after care of your child’s tooth.

Dental Crowns

A crown is a tooth shaped cap made to cover and protect a tooth. In children, a dental crown could be required to save a tooth that is so damaged by dental decay that a filling could not be placed in it. It is sometimes also required in kids who are at high risk of developing tooth decay and are not able to maintain their oral hygiene needs. The crown can be made of a tooth-like material called zirconia or from stainless steel. Both serve the function very well except that the zirconia crowns are highly esthetic.Crown placement might involve numbing the tooth but if the child is too anxious, we prefer using laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to sedate the child – a safe and mild process known as inhalation sedation. After the crown is fixed in position, the child should avoid eating until the anesthetic completely wears off (to prevent cheek/lip/tongue bite).

Zirconia crowns
Stainless steel crowns

Orthodontic Treatment/Straightening of Teeth

Whenever there is a difference in the sizes of the jaws and teeth, a condition known as malocclusion occurs, that is a discrepancy in the way the teeth of the upper and lower jaw meet. There could be many types of malocclusion. Sometimes they occur because of accidents or even certain habits like thumb sucking, mouth breathing or tongue thrusting. There could also be crowding and overlapping of teeth or extra spacing present between teeth. All these situations would require orthodontic intervention at some stage or the other. The best time to start the treatment by braces is decided by the orthodontist after finding out the problem first.

Braces comprise of brackets, wires and rubber bands/elastic. They eventually move the teeth in a straighter alignment by putting steady pressure on them. The different materials of braces available are: stainless steel, ceramic, combination of materials.

Aligners

Clear plastic trays are also an option for a few patients in which there is no requirement of wires and brackets. They have the advantage of being removable, easily cleanable and more esthetic than regular braces.

The duration for which your child would need to wear braces or aligners varies and is decided by the orthodontist. It is usually about 18 to 24 months after which the orthodontist fabricates a fixed retainer for your child which is a piece of wire cemented on to the inner surfaces of the teeth in order to keep them in their new positions and not revert to the original places.

Space Maintainers

In case of premature loss of a baby tooth/teeth, the adult teeth might erupt in the space created instead of their designated space in the jaw. This would create problems in the alignment of the teeth in the future, leading to speech discrepancy, malocclusion and poor oral hygiene. In order to preserve the space created by early loss of milk teeth, space maintainers are essential.

There are two types: removable and fixed.

Removable space maintainers are made up of acrylic (plastic dental material) and have artificial teeth or plastic blocks to hold the space for the permanent teeth. They are preferably given in older children who can take proper care of them and clean them.
Fixed space maintainers are more suitable for young children or those who have lost the back teeth. The orthodontist needs to take an impression of your child’s teeth and send the models to the dental laboratory where the device is fabricated. The fixed devices are typically made of bands or loops of stainless steel and fixed to the adjacent natural tooth with the help of a cement.

Habit Breaking Appliances

It is quite common and natural for young kids to start sucking their thumb as a gesture of soothing themselves. Most kids tend to stop this habit on their own by the age of 2 but a few are not able to do so. Another natural phenomenon in infants is tongue thrusting which is a normal pattern of swallowing and gradually changes by the age of 5-6 years. Some kids continue thrusting their tongue against the front teeth or the side teeth. Even breathing through the mouth is not a normal phenomenon and results in a long face, narrow nasal passages and short upper lip. In all these cases, breaking the habit before the permanent teeth start to erupt is a must as it avoids the irregularity in the jaw size and tooth alignment of the adult teeth. When every effort to stop the habit fails, the appliances help in stopping the habits by either physically blocking the action or by serving as a reminder for the child not to do it.

Emergency Dental Care

Falling and knocking out a tooth (also known as tooth avulsion) - You need to remain calm, comfort the child and pick the tooth from its chewing surface and not the root. For older children, if the avulsed tooth is not dirty or broken, try to place it back in the tooth socket and ask the child to hold it in place until you reach our clinic or any emergency dental department. Do not try to reposition the tooth in smaller kids or if it is fractured and dirty. You could rinse (and not scrape/ scrub) it with warm water and place it in a glass of milk or salt water till the time you reach the dentist.
Chipping off or breaking a tooth by accident – Once again, stay calm and comfort the child first. If the tooth has broken while playing a sport or by an accident, pick the broken tooth/tooth pieces and place it in a glass of milk or saltwater solution. Immediately visit a dentist. If the tooth has cracked inside the mouth, then simply make your child rinse with warm water to clean the area and use cold compresses on the face to avoid any swelling to occur. Visit the dentist and get it checked immediately.
Severe toothache – Soothing a severe toothache at home could be quite challenging in young kids. You could try making them rinse with warm salt water to ease the pain a little. Visit the dentist as soon as possible to know the cause of the toothache and the treatment required.
Fracture in the jaw – This can occur due to a high velocity impact like in road traffic accidents or other accidents, or assaults. Till the time urgent care is provided, the child should be asked not to move the jaw. In case of small children, you could tie a cloth vertically, around the head and jaw to keep the jaw from moving. Cold compress can be given on the jaw region from outside to control the swelling.
Lip/tongue/cheek bite – Either of these can lead to bleeding and/or swelling. To reduce these symptoms, you need to apply direct pressure to the wounded region to cease the bleeding. Once that is achieved, a cold compress or simply an ice cube can be used to subside the swelling, if any.

Preventive Dental Care

Oral hygiene instructions - As a parent you would seek to establish the best oral hygiene for your child. Healthy teeth are important for your child’s overall health. The oral care requirements of the child changes with age. We make sure to give thorough instructions according to the need of the child, to promote a healthy mouth.
Pit and fissure sealants - All teeth have natural grooves on their chewing surfaces. The tiny food particles usually get stuck in between those grooves and start harbouring bacteria. Children are unable to clean these grooves with a normal toothbrush and it leads to the formation of cavities. Sealants are protective coatings applied to the pits and fissures of your child’s teeth. It is a completely safe and painless method of preventing the formation of cavities.
Fluoride treatment - The basic motto is that the child’s teeth should be shielded against occurence of cavities. Fluoride is a natural mineral that strengthens the tooth surface and can help prevent tooth decay to a large extent. It is usually applied in the form of a gel (varnish) which forms a highly impermeable shield of enamel structure(calcium fluorophosphate) which is highly resistant to cavities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to expect at your child’s dental visit Indiadens?

Indiadens is a child-friendly dental clinic with dentists who generally prefer to keep the first dental visit with little or no treatment. We intend to build a trusting rapport with the child first and help him build a basic dental orientation with us. Our clinic is also dedicated to help young patients overcome dental anxiety by using conscious sedation during the treatment, if required.

Usually on the first visit to Indiadens, the parents are educated about proper gum and teeth care for their child and the correct brushing/gum cleaning techniques so that they can further guide their child. Topics like appropriate nutrition and tooth-friendly snacks and meals for toddlers or little kids are also discussed at Indiadens. Many parents also have other concerns around things like feeders and pacifiers, which can be sorted out during this initial visit. The advice from dentists about teeth and gums can be important for future cavity prevention.

For the dental examination, the parents might be asked to first sit on the dental chair and show their kids that it’s not scary. They can also be asked to sit on the chair with the child on their lap. We then actively detect existing problems, if any, like cavities, teeth alignment or your child’s bite. We also check the current status of oral health, gum and jaw position, or any other possible developmental flaw. If necessary, we clean your child’s teeth and provide a fluoride application on the teeth as a prevention program for tooth decay.

Our dentists are dedicated to helping young patients to overcome dental anxiety. In spite of our best efforts, kids can develop a fear of the unknown environment and people, white coat phobia, needle phobia, etc. Indiadens is equipped with the provision of ‘inhalation sedation’ (nitrous oxide and oxygen inhalation). The AAPD (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY) recognizes it as a safe and effective technique to reduce anxiety and enhance effective communication between the child and the dentist. This makes the child relaxed and comfortable to carry out dental procedures.

If you think inhalation sedation will be beneficial to your child, you could read more about the process by clicking here.

How to prepare your child for the dental visit?

The best way to ensure a pleasant and successful first dental visit is to take a little time to prepare your child and set expectations about what will happen. Simply follow the following guidelines to avoid the jitters associated with the first dental visit.

Start with having a positive attitude yourself. Children are amazingly perceptive when it comes to the attitudes of others, and they will mirror your reactions to the situation. Make sure you are calm, relaxed, and cheerful. Even if you are not a huge fan of the dentist, don’t let it show in front of your kid. Try to avoid talking about any bad experience at the dental clinic. Always chat about the dentist in positive terms. When you enter our clinic, interact as politely as you can with the staff here. Try to project the attitude that a dentist’s visit is fun, and that the dentist is a friend who is there to help.
Talk to your child, in an age-appropriate way, about the sequence of events expected during the visit. For example, start by “First we’ll say hi to the receptionist, then we would have to wait a little while they get ready, then we’ll go into a little room and there will be a big chair…” When kids know what to expect, they are much more able to deal with each event as it happens.
Create a ‘ritual’ surrounding the experience. For example, you could bring some of their favourite toys to play with or special books to read while in the waiting area. Or perhaps you can pick out a special “going to the dentist” outfit. These rituals will help build a routine for your child and he/she will start relating the dental visits to these
Don’t forget to have them brush. The dental visit will go more smoothly if your child has already brushed their teeth before the visit. This makes it easier for the dentist to examine your kid’s teeth, and to see how well he or she is brushing. So, try to remember to have your child brush before heading out to the dentist!