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Your kids can get tooth decay. Mild tooth decay may need to be filled with severe decay requiring a root canal, or a crown. It is imperative that you schedule a dental appointment with your Kids Dentist in Chicago when the first tooth erupts, usually at around six months.

Fillings are used to repair decayed or broken tooth. Common materials used include alloy, metal, porcelain, plastic, or a combination of materials. If you have toddler that has a cavity in a front tooth, your dentist will use a tooth colored resin.

Root canals are not just for adults. According to Colgate, kids may require a root canal if the cavity is too big and a filling isn’t enough to repair the damage. Root canal therapy is safe and effective, and may be necessary, even in baby teeth.

Your dentist explains that primary teeth are lost between six and twelve years of age, but if there is an infection or trauma, a root canal may be required.

Baby teeth function just like adult teeth. Missing teeth can cause problems regardless of how old your child is and can affect eating and talking.

Primary teeth serve as a guide when it comes to the proper placement of permanent teeth. If baby teeth are missing and lost before their time, primary teeth could become crowded or crooked. Without adequate space, adult teeth may be tilted or cause bite problems, which could lead to orthodontic treatment once your son or daughter gets older.

Because the inside of the tooth, or the pulp, is loaded with nerves and blood vessels problems could develop including pain and sensitivity. If the pulp is dying or diseased, root canal therapy may be needed before infection or a dangerous abscess develops.

Your Pediatric Dentist may use indirect pulp therapy by applying an antibiotic to the decay before sealing the damaged tooth. A pulpotomy may also be used to remove the damaged pulp while stabilizing the healthy portion of the pulp. Also called a partial root canal this treatment has been proven successful in many cases.

Of course, the only way to determine if your son or daughter requires a filling or a root canal is to schedule an appointment with your Pediatric Dentist.

Baby bottle tooth decay, commonly known as nursing bottle syndrome, and nursing carries, happens when your child’s teeth are constantly in contact with beverages loaded with sugar. Formula, milk, fruit juice, and even fruit juice that you have diluted with water, can cause early childhood carries. Even if you breastfeed, your baby could still be susceptible to baby bottle tooth decay. Once any of these liquids begin to break down inside your child’s mouth, bacteria begins to feed on the sugars causing cavities and dental caries.

If your kids love to drink sugary beverages, it is imperative that you schedule an appointment with your pediatric dentist as baby bottle tooth decay can make it tough to eat and can cause pain.

Baby teeth act as space savers for your children’s adult teeth. Unfortunately if your kids baby teeth are damaged it could result in improper positioning. This could also result in crooked permanent teeth or overcrowding. If your kid’s teeth are decayed, an abscess could occur spreading the infection to other parts of the body.

According to Medicine Net, there are some things that you can do to help prevent nursing caries.

Substitute juices, milk and sugary liquids with water. If your child must have a watered down juice drink, follow with a baby bottle filled with water.

If your kids use pacifiers, never dip them in sugary liquids, honey, fruit juice, or plain sugar.

When you put your child down for bedtime or naptime, resist the urge to fill his or her baby bottle with sugary liquids or milk. Even watered down juice can increase the risk of tooth decay. Again, water is the best and will keep your kids hydrated while sleeping.

Because human breast milk can also cause dental caries, never allow your child to nurse while sleeping. Fill the bottle with water or give your child a pacifier.

Resist the urge to add sugar to your finicky eater’s food. Doing so will cause the bacteria in your child’s mouth to feed on the sugar eventually causing tooth decay.

Your dentist recommends that you wipe your baby’s mouth with a wet cloth even if your child does not have teeth. After each feeding, wipe the gums and any teeth that have erupted as this can help remove sugars and plaque.

Be sure and ask your pediatric dentist about fluoride. Too much can cause spots and permanent damage to your kids teeth. Not enough will cause tooth decay. If your water is not fluoridated your dentist may recommend fluoride treatments.

Lastly, teach your kids to use a sippy cup by the time they reach the age of one. Sippy cups help reduce sugar exposure. Have your son or daughter drink water, as sugary drinks, including milk, will cause tooth decay.

For more information regarding baby bottle tooth decay, schedule an appointment with your pediatric dentist who can help your kids keep their teeth for the rest of their lives.

All people are susceptible to tooth decay, but infants, toddlers, adolescents, teens and tweens can be prone to cavities. In fact, the Center for Disease Control estimates that as many as 19 percent of children between two and nineteen live with cavities that are left untreated.

Children are twice as likely to get cavities because they do not brush and floss as they should. Dental caries, which can be passed from one to another, are actually communicable diseases that one family member can give to another because of cup and utensil sharing.

According to a Pediatric Dentist, there are a number of factors that could be contributing to your children’s tooth decay. Cavities form thanks to bacteria, sugars, and starches that accumulate on the teeth and gums. This dangerous mix creates acids that will deplete calcium, which is needed to keep your tooth enamel strong. The mouth germ, technically called mutans streptococcus is a germ causes plaque. Plaque coats your teeth with even more acid that adds to the tooth decay that has already started to form. Twenty seconds is all it takes for the bacteria to covert to acid after a sugary snack has been enjoyed. This happens several times during a meal. How you eat is almost as important as what you eat. Sucking on a hard candy all day is actually more detrimental than eating an entire bag of candy for lunch.

If you have been reading the Chicago Kids Dentist blog you will know how damaging sugar is to your kids teeth, but so are food items that most consider healthy. Fruit juice is highly acidic as is certain types of fish and bread. Carbonated drinks can also hurt teeth.

Of course, your kids don’t have to give these treats up completely. Ask your Pediatric Dentist about snacks that help produce saliva to wash away some of the dangerous acids. Keep snacking before bed to a minimum, and never give your son or daughter anything acidic before bedtime. Try giving your kids cheese following an acidic meal as it helps to neutralize the acids.

Before brushing, teach your kids to rinse after a meal. Wait approximately thirty minutes and then have them brush, as the acid works quickly making the enamel on your teeth more vulnerable if you or your kids brush immediately after eating.

These days, dentists understand how genetics affect teeth and gums. Just as your genes determine the color of your eyes, height and hair color, genes also affect teeth and gums right down to the hardness of the enamel. This explains why people who have impeccable oral hygiene habits find themselves sitting in the dentist’s chair more often than they would like.

If you would like more information on keeping your kids teeth healthy through adulthood, contact a Pediatric Dentist in your area who can help your kids keep their teeth well into the senior years.

Finding the perfect dentist for the newest member of your family can be tough, especially if you have just moved the family across the country. Go online and you will see dozens of dentists in your area, but how do you know where to start? Pediatric Dentistry is a specialty, and if you don’t know anyone in the area and forgot to ask your old dentist for a recommendation, don’t panic.

Head to the web and do a search for dentists. Type in your city and zip code. If you are searching for a pediatric dentist on Google, include infant, toddler, or teen in the city name search. Once you have found a few suitable dentists in your new community start a list. Be sure to highlight the things you liked about the dentist and number your list in order of preference.

Check your list against the online review sites and see how each dentist ranks. Honest reviews are important, especially if you do not have any personal recommendations. If the reviews are mixed, keep looking. You want to find a dentist who ranks consistently with at least four stars.

Go through each dentist’s website with a fine tooth comb. Read the products and services page and don’t forget to check the dental teams about us page. You’ll want to find a dentist who provides you with his or her training and schooling and one who is continually furthering his or her dental education with classes, seminars and workshops.

The interior of the dentist’s office should be clean, comfortable, and inviting. Kids need to be kept busy, especially if they have had a bad experience with a dentist. First timers will appreciate games that will keep busy minds occupied before they meet with the pediatric dentist. A good pediatric dentist will have educational toys for the kids, updated magazines, and a television for you.

Call ahead. If you have narrowed down your search to three final candidates, call the office. Talk to the receptionist and see what kind of vibe you get. If your call was answered with a friendly hello and how can I help you, you are on the right track.

Ask questions. If the office is only open 3 days a week, you may want to rethink your number one choice. Fees, insurance plans, and payment options need to be discussed before you book a dental appointment as well.

Accidents happen and if your son has a dental emergency on the baseball field, it is vital that you have a pediatric dentist who is available 24 hours 7 days a week. Most dentists have a referral dentist whom they trust in the event of a dental emergency.

Trust your instincts. If you have a good feeling about a new dentist, schedule an appointment. You’ll know if the two of you are a good fit the first time you or any member of your family sits in the chair.