Pediatric Dentistry: The Foundation for the Finest Smiles

Residents of Fairchance, PA, know they can trust their family’s smiles to the dedicated dental professionals at our office. We focus on being the finest family dentists around because oral health has a significant impact on our overall well-being.

This is why we have created the warm and welcoming environment that is our office: so patients of any age can get the smile they’ve always wanted, along with the oral care they need to live a healthy life. Call our office today to learn more.

Growing Smiles with Pediatric Dental Care

The journey towards maintaining a healthy, radiant smile begins early in life. Pediatric dentistry plays a crucial role in laying the foundation for lifelong oral health and well-being. Recognizing and addressing dental needs during childhood is essential not only for the physical health of a child but also for their emotional and social development. A healthy smile can boost a child’s confidence, impacting their interactions and self-esteem in profound ways.

Whole-Life Benefits of Pediatric Dental Solutions

At Fairchance Dental Arts, we’re committed to offering treatments that do more than just address immediate dental issues. Our pediatric dental solutions are designed to improve not only your child’s dental health but also enhance their overall quality of life. From preventive care to corrective procedures, we provide a range of services tailored to meet the unique needs of children at every stage of their development. These interventions not only ensure a healthy smile but also contribute to the child’s self-confidence and social interactions.

The Lasting Impact of Early Dental Care

Starting dental care early is key to giving kids a healthy smile for life. Pediatric dentistry isn’t just about fixing teeth; it’s about setting kids up for a healthy future. Here’s why it’s so important:

• Stopping Dental Diseases Early: Catching problems early means we can stop them before they get bigger. This means fewer dental visits and happier smiles.
• Learning to Love Brushing: We teach kids fun and easy ways to keep their teeth clean. This helps them build good habits that last forever.
• Watching Out for Habits: Some habits, like thumb sucking, might need a little help to stop. We’re here to help guide your child’s growth in the right direction.
• Keeping an Eye on Growth: Regular check-ups let us make sure teeth and jaws are growing how they should. If something’s off, we can help fix it early.

Pediatric dentistry is all about making sure kids grow up with strong, healthy teeth and a love for taking care of them. It’s about more than just visits to the dentist; it’s about giving your child a healthy start in life.

At Fairchance Dental Arts, we’re all about smiles – making them healthy and keeping them bright. Ready to join our family of happy smiles? Give us a call and let’s start your child on the path to a healthy, happy smile.

Your Child’s Smile Is Our Priority

Contact Fairchance Dental Arts today to schedule an appointment and discover how we can help your child smile with confidence. Together, we can lay the foundation for a lifetime of oral health and radiant smiles.

Debunking Dental Myths: The Truths About Pediatric Dentistry

Like any profession that has been around for a significant amount of time, certain “facts” have cropped up about oral health and the dental profession that aren’t entirely accurate. That’s to be expected, of course—modern dentistry began in the 1720s, which is plenty of time for old wives tales, workplace scuttlebutt, and outdated information to gain traction.

But don’t worry! Your friends at Fairchance Dental Arts understand that a well-informed patient is a comfortable patient. In this section, we will be discussing some of the myths about pediatric dentistry and providing you with the information you need to optimize the smiles of you and your loved ones.

So let’s begin and get to a few truths about our teeth that help explain why dental care is so important!

Baby Teeth vs. Adult Teeth

• Myth | Baby teeth and adult teeth are identical, except in size.
• Truth | Little teeth have some slightly different needs than our permanent adult teeth.

Visually, other than size, secondary teeth (also known as permanent or adult teeth) are nearly identical to deciduous teeth (colloquially called baby teeth, milk teeth, or primary teeth). Since they look similar and serve the same function, some would assume there is no real difference between these sets of teeth.

But that isn’t the case! Here are some key differences between the makeup of adult and baby teeth.

• Thinner Enamel Layer: The enamel layer is thinner for baby teeth, while the pulp inside takes up a great deal more space. As a result, any cavity can spread very quickly and cause widespread damage.
• Increased Risk for Health Problems: Some health concerns can thin the protective layer of a baby tooth—which means their oral health is at an even greater risk. Increased sensitivity, quicker cavity formations, and higher chances of infection are only a few examples of how susceptible baby teeth are compared to their adult counterparts.
• Greater Need for Preventive Dentistry: Because of these concerns, primary teeth need to be treated differently, not only due to their temporary status but because they aren’t as durable.

Our office takes pediatric dentistry very seriously; everything from materials used in treatment to a tooth’s position along the gums is calculated for restorative dentistry for baby teeth.

The Importance of Cavity Prevention

• Myth | Cavities in baby teeth aren’t a big deal. After all, they’re just temporary teeth. They won’t even be needed for very long.
• Truth | Children keep their baby teeth for years. The first ones come in when the child is only a few months old, and the last ones don’t fall out until age twelve or thirteen.

What is the point of maintaining temporary teeth if we just lose them? Being proactive in protecting your teeth has a great many benefits that continue long after the last baby teeth have been placed underneath the pillow for the tooth fairy.

• Good Early Habits Make Lifelong Smiles: Being aware and attentive to oral hygiene at an early age is one of the greatest things you can do for your oral health. Teaching your loved ones the importance of positive dental habits (such as twice daily brushing and flossing) can help prevent common dental discomforts like toothaches and cavities.
• Early Care Prevents Worse Future Problems: While we lose all of our baby teeth, allowing a cavity to develop can have negative consequences for future adult teeth. While they may begin as unsightly spots on teeth, cavities (or carries) can create pathways to the vulnerable soft tissue of the mouth such as a tooth’s pulp, roots, or even the jawbone.
• Better Health Now Leads to Great Oral Health Later: Bacteria and germs can use a cavity as a doorway to cause damage beyond the tooth itself. If cavities in primary teeth aren’t cared for, it can create a hostile environment for adult teeth and may even prevent permanent teeth from properly emerging!

Embracing early dental care and cavity prevention sets the stage for healthy, vibrant smiles that last a lifetime. At Fairchance Dental Arts, we’re committed to guiding you and your family through every step of this journey, ensuring a future filled with bright smiles and optimal oral health.

Keeping Your Smile Shape

• Myth | Missing baby teeth don’t matter too much. They all fall out and will get replaced with adult teeth eventually.
• Truth | Space taken up by baby teeth makes a dramatic difference in the shape and crowding of the later permanent bite.

Despite being called “baby teeth” the truth is that both sets of teeth are incredibly hard working. While a great smile is its own reward, teeth do much more for us than we may realize. Aside from smiling and chewing, our teeth help keep our jaws healthy, our facial muscles strong, and play a large role in keeping our airways clear and protected!

Without healthy teeth there to save space and guide growth, the permanent teeth will be susceptible to all sorts of problems.

• Infection Risk: Ignored missing primary teeth can lead to increased chances of infection in the surrounding gum and bone tissue.
• Orthodontic Issues: Improper spacing due to missing primary teeth can cause alignment and bite problems, requiring future orthodontic treatment.
• Impacted Adult Teeth: A lack of proper space can prevent adult teeth from emerging correctly, sometimes resulting in impacted teeth that require surgical intervention.

That is why it is important to care for both sets of teeth. This makes more sense when you understand that your primary teeth are going to be with you during some of the most important development stages.

It might be easiest to see that our primary teeth are helping set the stage—and literally helping to shape your mouth—so your adult teeth can arrive without issue and immediately continue all the hard work their smaller counterparts have done!

Treatments and Solutions

Fairchance Dental Arts offers several solutions to problems that present in baby teeth, including interceptive orthodontics, pulpotomies, stainless steel dental crowns, and extractions.

Interceptive Orthodontics

A child’s mouth is still growing, making it flexible and receptive to correction. With interceptive orthodontics, our specialists can spot problem areas in the development of the teeth, gums, and jaw before they settle into their permanent state. This early intervention prevents quite a few problems from forming.

Pulpotomy

Pulpotomy is a pulp-cleaning procedure very similar to a root canal. The difference is that only part of the pulp is removed and replaced with a medicated filling. This can be done in both adults and children but is especially important in pediatric dentistry. Saving the baby tooth gives the permanent teeth that replace it the best chance to develop well.

Stainless Steel Dental Crowns

The temporary nature of baby teeth means that traditional fillings, crowns, and other dental restorations are not always feasible for young children. Steel crowns are a great alternative. They are inexpensive, extremely durable, easily maintainable, and come right out with the baby tooth when the time comes.

Extractions

As adults, we usually pull wisdom teeth due to misalignment, tooth crowding, or crooked growth. When there isn’t adequate room for teeth, they are susceptible to problems. This same thing is true in children. When the baby teeth have problems, any adult teeth trying to grow into those same spaces can develop the same flaws. Extraction is sometimes the answer.

Call Us Today and Protect Your Family’s Smiles

At Fairchance Dental Arts, we’re dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive care that supports the development of beautiful, healthy smiles. Whether it’s your child’s first dental visit or you’re seeking specialized care, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

For great childhood dentistry, call Fairchance Dental Arts—your home for a beaming smile. We’ll take care of your kids, their teeth, and your worries all in one convenient stop.