- What is Pediatric Dentistry? What Age Range Does It Cover?
Pediatric dentistry is a branch of dentistry that deals with the oral and dental health of children. The age of completion of permanent teeth may vary in children, therefore, it covers the treatment and protection of primary and permanent teeth of children between the ages of 0-14 in the widest range.
Primary teeth usually start to erupt in the 6th month after birth and the first dentition is completed with a total of 20 milk teeth at approximately 2.5 years of age. Primary teeth, which have a different structure than permanent teeth, are weaker against caries and wear. In addition to their important functions such as nutrition, speech and esthetics, they also serve as placeholders for the permanent teeth that will replace them.
The eruption of permanent teeth continues between the ages of 6-12 and this period is called the mixed dentition period. Since permanent teeth and primary teeth are located together in the mouth during the mixed dentition period, problems in primary teeth also pose a risk for permanent teeth. Treatments for permanent teeth that are still erupting may differ from those for permanent teeth that have completed their development, and it is recommended that children consult a pediatric dentist for necessary dental treatments and preventive applications during this period.
- What Do Pediatric Dentists Do?
- Informing parents about general oral hygiene and brushing in children
- Evaluating nutritional habits in children
- Evaluating the risk of caries in children and recommending necessary preventive applications
- Performing all necessary treatments on primary and permanent teeth. Filling, root canal treatment and amputation applications for caries treatment, treatments of young permanent teeth with open root apex, tooth extraction if necessary and subsequent preventive orthodontic applications, space maintainers, emergency interventions on traumatized teeth, which are more common in children, treatments of gum diseases in children and performing all dental treatments under general anesthesia and sedation to prevent dental phobia or in cases where existing anxiety is not suitable for treatment in the dental chair.
- Monitoring the development of the mouth, teeth and jaw and evaluating for early orthodontic treatment are the applications that pediatric dentists should perform.
- When should the first examination be carried out?
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that the first dental check-up be done after the first tooth appears (usually between 6 months and 1 year of age). The purpose of this early check-up is to tell you what you need to do to keep your baby’s mouth and teeth healthy and to provide detailed information about brushing and nutrition.
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