Pedodontics (Pediatric Dentistry)

Pedodontics, also known as paediatric dentistry, is a specialty that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of children's dental health. In its simplest form, paedodontics provides treatment for children aged 0-14 years with the aim of protecting and treating both primary and permanent teeth. This branch of medicine also monitors the development of a child's face, jaw and teeth, and it is recommended that children see a dentist every 2-3 months.

What does paediatric dentistry cover?

- Root canal treatment

- Tooth extractions

- Treatment of tooth discolouration

- Crown applications

- Fluoride treatments

- Tooth and gum checks

- Prevention of bottle tooth decay

Controlling the oral and dental health of both healthy and disabled children from the time their first teeth appear can prevent significant health problems in the future. To maintain children's oral and dental health, it's important to limit their intake of foods and drinks such as chocolate, waffles and acidic drinks. Any problems with the teeth should not be ignored, but treated immediately to prevent any effect on other teeth. Paediatric treatment is a process that prioritises children's mental and emotional health.

Baby teeth:

Milk teeth start to appear in a baby's mouth from the age of 6 months and continue to appear until they are about 3 years old. These teeth begin to fall out around the age of 6, with this change continuing until around the age of 12.

- Should milk teeth be extracted? Milk teeth fall out naturally when the permanent teeth below them start to erupt. If milk teeth don't fall out due to crowding, it's important to see your dentist.

- How many milk teeth are there? There are 20 milk teeth in total, and the last one usually comes in around the age of 3.

- Should I keep my milk teeth? The pulp tissue inside milk teeth has been shown to be an excellent source of stem cells, so it may be beneficial to keep them.

- What is a milk tooth abscess and what should be done? If a tooth is left untreated for a long time, the decayed tissue can progress towards the root and cause a build-up of micro-organisms that cause an inflammatory and painful fluid to form around the root. If this happens, it is essential to see a dentist.

- What is the anatomy of a milk tooth? Milk teeth are proportionally smaller than permanent teeth and have larger spaces between them. This means that food is more likely to get stuck between the teeth and decay can progress more quickly.

Why do milk teeth decay?

There are many factors that contribute to tooth decay. The most important is not brushing properly. In particular, processed foods tend to stick to children's teeth more than regular foods, making them harder to brush.

- Do milk teeth fall out early? The timing of when milk teeth fall out can vary depending on the developmental stage of each child. Dentists use panoramic radiographs to monitor this process and explain it to each patient individually.

- Are my front teeth crooked? Permanent incisors can push baby teeth forward when they erupt. However, in cases of severe crowding, milk teeth may need to be extracted by a dentist. It's important to discuss this with your dentist.

- Do milk teeth change colour? In rare cases, eruption cysts can cause milk teeth to appear purple during the eruption process. If this happens, it's important to see your dentist.

- I have stains on my milk teeth, what should I do? Milk teeth stains can be caused by many different factors and are often confused with tooth decay.