Children’s Care
Fluoride and Dental Sealants
Fluoride is effective in preventing cavities and tooth decay by coating your teeth and preventing plaque from building up and hardening on the surface of your teeth.
A fluoride treatment takes just a few minutes. After the treatment, your child may be asked not to rinse, eat, or drink for at least 10 to 30 minutes in order to allow the teeth to absorb the fluoride.
Sealants are terrific preventive dentistry treatments designed to save your child’s teeth from decay that starts in the deep grooves of the back molars. This is a simple and virtually painless procedure. The teeth are first cleaned and then a resin sealant is placed in the grooves of the back teeth. This durable sealant works to prevent bacteria from causing cavities in these grooves. Sealants can prevent severe damage from occurring along the back teeth, which can ultimately save you from more extensive treatment down the road.
Dental sealants are generally applied to children’s first permanent back teeth but are beneficial in any tooth with deep grooves and a high risk of cavities.
Space Maintainers
Baby teeth aren’t just for chewing! Each one also acts as a guide for the permanent tooth that replaces it. If a baby tooth is lost too early, the permanent tooth loses its guide. It can drift or erupt incorrectly into the mouth. Neighbouring teeth also can move or tilt into the space. This means the permanent tooth can’t come in. Dentists call baby teeth primary or deciduous teeth.
Primary teeth can be lost too early for several reasons:
- They can be knocked out in a fall or other accident.
- They may need to be extracted because of severe decay.
- They may be missing at birth.
- Some diseases or conditions can lead to early tooth loss
We may recommend a space maintainer:
- If a primary tooth is lost before the permanent tooth is ready to come in
- If a permanent tooth is missing
The maintainer keeps the space open until the permanent tooth comes in.
Follow-Up
We will follow the progress of the incoming permanent tooth by taking X-rays regularly. When the tooth is ready to erupt, the space maintainer will be removed. If there is no permanent tooth, the space maintainer will be used until your child’s growth is completed (age 16 to 18). Then we can discuss replacement options like a bridge or implant.
