Preventative and Restorative Care

Studies have shown that children with good oral health tend to eat better, learn better, do better at school, develop higher confidence, and are healthier over all.

Regular checkups and proper prevention today can reduce major dental problems and expensive treatments later. Preventative treatment includes:

• Fluoride – Inhibits the demineralization of healthy enamel and enhances the re- mineralization of demineralized enamel. Topical treatments are particularly effective in reducing caries in children at caries risk.
• Dental sealants – Toothbrushes can’t reach all the way into the depressions and grooves of the teeth’s biting surfaces to remove all food and plaque. Sealants create a barrier for those surfaces to help keep them cavity-free.
• Counseling on proper nutrition and dietary habits.
• Proper brushing and flossing instruction.
• Guidance of erupting teeth – directing tooth eruption can improve orthodontic treatment results and can prevent the need for tooth extraction or more serious orthodontic treatment in the future.

Restorative care includes:

TOOTH COLORED FILLINGS
Composite resins and glass ionomers are fillings we use to fill teeth. These fillings can restore teeth to an attractive, healthy state and are a popular alternative to silver or amalgam fillings.

CROWNS
In a baby tooth, if a cavity is too large to restore with a filling, a crown may be recommended. The purpose of the crown is to help provide structure for the tooth and to help maintain space for the permanent teeth to erupt properly while protecting the remaining tooth. These come in stainless steel and tooth colored.

BABY ROOT CANALS
The pulp of the tooth is the inner central core of the tooth and contains nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue. The purpose of a pulpotomy is to maintain the vitality of the affected tooth so that the tooth can be salvaged. This is followed by a crown, mentioned above.

EXTRACTIONS
Your child may need to have teeth extracted due to cavities or for orthodontic reasons. Depending on the age and health of your child, these extractions may be done with the use of local anesthetic or in conjunction with a form of sedation.

SPACE MAINTAINERS
If your child loses a baby tooth early through decay or injury, the child’s other teeth could shift and begin to fill the vacant space. To prevent this a space maintainer is placed to hold the spot until the permanent tooth starts to grow in.