Pediatric Dentistry in Szeged

At Feher Dent-pediatric dentisty we can help in many ways even when given the advice by our own parents to teach our children to conserve their teeth. Maybe an advice we didn't always follow as parents.

The most precious gift that we can give our children, is to help keep their teeth beautiful and healthy. They should be taken for regular dental check-ups and consultations, and pay close attention to follow the advice of the dentist. The reason does matter when it comes to when and why the pediatric dentist intervenes.

Prevention of oral and dental diseases in children, as well as treatment methods, are dealt within the field of pediatric dentistry. Here, we list dental abnormalities to be aware of.

Not only does the method of treatment in children differ from adults, but the teeth itself differ with age. Due to the fact that it is much harder for children to bear treatments than adults, considerable empathy is required from the dentist. Prevention is essential in order to maintain healthy teeth!

Regular brushing of the child's teeth is recommended at an early age. At first, with the help of the parents, then later brushing can be done on his/her own when the child is independent. Parents can be a role-model by setting an example of good tooth brushing habits and making it a fun activity for children by brushing the teeth together. Never allow your child to leave out tooth brushing as a regular part of his/her daily routine. Children should be accustomed to visiting the dental office, in this way fear of the dentist can be avoided. That is why It is recommended to make a visit to the dentist before something goes wrong with their teeth. Regular and proper dental care is important next to proper nutrition and good oral hygiene.

The teeth begin to develop at the 7th week of life in the mother's womb. After birth from 6-33 months, the deciduous teeth erupt. Each of these teeth are similar to the permanent teeth except for the first molar. It is good to know which teeth are deciduous teeth or permanent teeth. These differences can only be seen by a specialist. It is important to keep the deciduous teeth in place as long as possible in order to prevent any future dental anomalies. Therefore, care should be very important. As we mentioned earlier, we at FeherDent pediatric dentistry Szeged, recommend to bring in your child even if there aren't any complaints or if no abnormalities can be seen in the mouth at home. For example, initial caries can be detected by a dentist which can not always be seen by us at home. We can also prevent the development of anxiety by bringing our children for regular visits and becoming accustomed to the dentist and the surroundings.

Caries

The lower molars are more prone to tooth decay. Caries can appear without any previous history. Excessive and frequent sugar consumption, bottle feeding with juice and sugary tea can all lead to caries. The condition can worsen if tooth brushing is left out of the daily routine. Treating deciduous teeth is just as important as treating permanent teeth. The early loss of deciduous teeth can result in crowding of the teeth, which will then require orthodontic treatment for correction. That is why it is important to retain deciduous teeth in it's place as long as possible. When caries is present the decayed part of the tooth is drilled away and then filled to prevent further infection of the tooth. Don't leave decayed deciduous teeth untreated because it can develop into pulpits or periostitis which can be very painful.

Treatment

Fillings

Glass ionomer cement is used as filling material for small carious lesions. The primary IV. teeth(molars) usually do not react well to fillings. In these cases, root canal treatment may be necessary. Yes, even deciduous teeth can be root canal treated, if the rate of decay is severe and a filling is not sufficient enough for treatment. During treatment it differs from treating permanent teeth because the root canal filling doesn't reach the tip of the root, perfection is not required in this case. The goal: is to keep the deciduous teeth in a non-inflammatory state until the eruption of the permanent teeth.

Extraction

The intervention is usually carried out without a local anesthetic injection, but with Lidocaine topical spray. Deciduous teeth can be easily removed in one stroke, since the root is fully or partially absorbed with the gums just keeping them in place.

Since great cooperation is required from the child during treatments, it greatly affects the outcome of the treatment. We emphasize again how important it is to bring your child when the lesion is painless. Pain will only make it harder on the willingness and cooperation of the child. It is much easier to treat a decayed tooth that is painless and the child can get this picture out of his/her head: The dental office is a place where my teeth already hurts if they just take a look at it.

We mentioned earlier, if the deciduous teeth are lost too early, it can lead to crowding. How does this occur? When deciduous teeth are lost early, there is a mesial drift of posterior teeth into the space they held open. Permanent teeth are usually displaced from the dental arch as they erupt and fail to spread out and align correctly due to the lack of space which in turn is due to the reduced growth of the jaws. These defects can be corrected by orthodontic treatment. In such cases of early loss of teeth, lengthy orthodontic treatments can be avoided by using space maintainer devices. These devices maintain the space required for the eruption of the permanent teeth and prevent future crowding of teeth.

Fissure Sealing

On the surface of the molar teeth pits, grooves, and fissures can be found. These places are prone to decay because food residues, bacteria, etc. can be hidden and trapped in these spaces. To prevent decay, the solution is to form a protective seal in these pits and fissures. In childhood, this is a method of prevention, protecting and reducing the occurrence of tooth decay. At Feher Dent-pediatric dentistry Szeged the treatment is painless and non-invasive. It is much more simple than a filling because drilling is not required.

When can fissure sealing be done?

-On a healthy, sound tooth

-on teeth with deep fissures which are incapable of self-cleaning

-Three years after eruption of the permanent tooth

When should fissure sealing NOT be done?

-on a caries tooth

-on self-cleaning surfaces with shallow fissures

-partially erupted tooth

Process of fissure sealing?

The tooth is dried and polished with paste, then treated with a a special acid gel so that the sealant will be able to bond properly.

The acid gel is then rinsed off and the tooth is dried again. Next, the liquid sealant is then applied which fills in the pits and fissures. If using self curing sealant then we have to wait for 2-3 minutes for the material to set. If using a light cured sealant then 20 seconds will be needed for the material to set under light. The intact fissure sealing offers protection against dental caries for 2-3 years, and also strengthen teeth due to fluoride release. Fluoride doesn't allow bacteria to multiply on the filling itself nor the near surrounding. With minor modification, fissure sealing can be done on adults as well. Extended fissure sealing is required, where the decayed part of the fissure is removed(drilled away) and then filled with the sealant. Fissure sealants are an especially effective preventive procedure for children which aims in preventing tooth decay.

The process of tooth changing

The second set of teeth in humans are the permanent teeth which are not replaced. The completed permanent dentition consists of 32 teeth. The teeth are divided into 4 quadrants with 8 teeth in each quadrant. Each quadrant consists of 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, 3 molars. The permanent teeth replace the deciduous teeth in a sequence of eruption with the first permanent tooth erupting at age 6. Eruption of the wisdom teeth occurs between the ages of 16-30. Sometimes, wisdom teeth don't even erupt or are not present,which suggests that over time they may disappear in human dentition. Three types of dentition are present: primary, mixed, and permanent teeth which can be found in the oral cavity.

The simultaneous presence of mixed dentition

An important question is whether dental caries in a deciduous tooth will have an effect or damage the permanent tooth, and if so, which kind of effect? The permanent tooth will likely erupt intact, but contact caries can occur if the permanent tooth comes into contact with a decayed deciduous tooth or if it erupts in an environment with certain harmful pathogens.

Tooth injury in deciduous teeth

Injury to the upper deciduous incisors occurs most often in children, resulting in a broken, loose, or missing tooth. For treatment the broken or chipped tooth can be replaced, if loose then it can be fixed with wires to keep it in place or sometimes the tooth can be reinserted into the socket. In any case if an injury occurs then it is important to come to our dental office, because the permanent germ can even be damaged.

Tooth injury in Permanent teeth

Various accidents from sports, games or fights, etc. can cause injury to the permanent teeth similar to the deciduous teeth. Such injuries usually occur around the age of 10 with twice as many cases with boys than girls. The protruding upper incisors are a risk factor for injury.

From the time of the injury to the time of the visit to the dentist plays a big role in the outcome of the intervention. That is why it is very important to visit the dentist as soon as an injury occurs. A tooth can be reinserted into the socket and saved if it has fallen out for a few hours. The tooth should be soaked in the child's own saliva and brought in to the dental office. After insertion of the tooth, it must be fixed. There is a minimal chance that the tooth will survive the trauma which then require root canal treatment before reinsertion of the tooth. If the crown is damaged, then a filling or porcelain crown can be placed. With children being involved, instead of dental prosthesis, orthodontics can be a solution to the problem.

Childhood Oral Diseases

Developmental anomalies:ankyloglossia, treatment and care with a simple surgery is required to avoid difficulty in speech and to be able to maintain normal eating habits. For cleft lip and palate medical intervention is required.

Infectious Diseases and their symptoms

Chickenpox: In the mouth-just like on the body- at first small spots appear, then blisters filled with fluid appear which then burst. Measles:white spots appear in the oral cavity. Scarlet: the tip and side of the tongue is red in color,with red spots at the back of the tongue with a white coating. Herpes virus: very common, high fever occurs with inflammation in the mouth and the surroundings. Nearly 100% of the young population is infected, but not many show symptoms. Many people are carriers for the virus, which can cause symptoms at any age. Recurrence of an outbreak can be caused by immune deficiency, stress, joy, or even dental treatment. Herpangina: similar symptoms to the herpes virus, appears mainly on on pharynx,with high fever. Mononucleosis infection:viral infection, inflammation appear on the soft palate and the throat, enlargement of lymph nodes. Mumps: the large salivary gland are swollen and painful. Difficult swallowing and chewing.

Fungal Infections

Thrush: common disease in infants. Can be cured with a simple antiseptic brush. In toddlers, it may indicate another more serious disease.

Aptha ulcers: the causes are unclear,painful but are healed in a short time. Can return from time to time

The above information is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments but only for information purposes. Seek a professional for correct diagnosis and treatment!

Finally, some interesting advice for new mothers and their children

During the first appearance of teeth,already in infancy the teeth should be taken care of. The risk of tooth decay can be reduced up to 90% in babies if we manage to prevent spread of contamination in the first few months. A study in America proved in fact that most mothers infect their children with decay causing bacteria, (sneezing is enough to transfer the infection in just a drop of saliva to the child).

Myth: the developing fetus in the womb during pregnancy takes away calcium from the mother's teeth. In the developed tooth calcium can only be lost in an acidic environment. What is true: is that a fetus takes away calcium from the mother's body, which is a building block for the teeth. If the intake of calcium from the mother is not enough, storage of calcium from the bones is used up by the body. Don't think that an empty bottle is harmless to the teeth of a child. The sugar that is left on the bottle nipple is a serious threat for decay. Some medicines when taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding, such as tetracycline (antibiotic) can lead to discoloration of the teeth. Hormones in the pregnant woman can lead to changes in the oral cavity as well as the teeth.

There is decrease in the neutralizing (antibacterial) effect of saliva, yet the amount of saliva increases during pregnancy. During the first trimester, vomiting causes the saliva acidity to increase. The changes in hormones cause the collagen fibers supporting the teeth to loosen, and the gums are much more sensitive and more prone to bleeding. Gum disease occur during pregnancy because of the change in the circulation of the mucous membranes in the oral cavity, the change in the number of bacteria, and the immune system reaction to plaque is different. Proper oral hygiene is thus very important during pregnancy, because if it is left out it can lead to disease of the teeth and gums.