Patient Education
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Primary Teeth
Teeth are a wonderfully complex part of the human body. It is easy for most of us to overlook all of the ways that our teeth have an impact upon our daily lives from birth to old age - from affecting the overall look of our face and enjoying foods, to the important role they play in helping to prevent health problems in other parts of our body, including our heart.
You may not realize it, but your baby is born with a complete set of teeth; small as they are, hidden in the deep recesses of the jawbone.
From birth to about the age of 3, you will witness in your child the gradual eruption of 20 primary teeth, also called "baby teeth." Primary teeth are important because they are essential in the development and location of what they will eventually be replaced by: a full set of 32 permanent teeth (16 each on top and bottom) in the adolescent and young adult.
Primary teeth maintain the spaces where permanent teeth will later erupt, and also help in speech development and aesthetics. Take good care of your child's primary teeth. Even though primary teeth last only a few years, decay, cavities and infection can take their toll, and may require expensive treatment.
Your child will generally have all his or her primary teeth by the age of 3, and will keep all of them until age 5 or 6, when they begin to loosen and fall out. The first primary teeth to shed are typically the front teeth on the bottom. The process of shedding primary teeth usually lasts until the child is 12 or 13. It is common for your child to retain some primary teeth to the age of 12 or 13; this is usually the case with molars and canines.
It is important to properly care for your child's primary teeth because they ultimately affect the development of your child's permanent teeth. Primary teeth serve many purposes, including:Chewing and eating
Paving the way for permanent teeth
Development of the jaw bone and muscles
Speech and appearance
If your child loses a primary tooth too soon (either from injury or disease), the permanent tooth may not be ready to erupt. Consequently, surrounding teeth may "hog" the space left by the lost primary tooth, leading to problems later on when the permanent tooth begins to erupt. When primary teeth erupt out of their proper positions, this may lead to "malocclusion," which causes teeth to become misaligned, crowded, or crooked. Consult our office if you think your child loses a primary tooth too soon. In many cases, future problems can be avoided by space maintainers, which are appliances that hold surrounding teeth at bay. Once the permanent tooth is ready to erupt, the appliance may be removed.
Permanent Teeth
The first permanent molars (which are not preceded by primary teeth) begin erupting around the age of 6. Extra care should be given to this first set of molars; they have a significant impact on the structure and position of future erupting teeth and, consequently, the shape of your child's lower face in later years.
Throughout your child's formative years (up and through the age of 21), the bones and muscles the face are constantly growing, shifting and changing. Most important (and visible to no one because it happens so gradually) is the fact that a child's jaw expands over a period of time, making way for an increase of 12 additional teeth. By about age 14, your child should have a full set of 28 permanent teeth, plus four additional teeth, called wisdom teeth, that grow behind the permanent teeth in late adolescence.Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, typically begin to develop in early adolescence, and may attempt to erupt into the mouth around the ages of 17 to 20.
Wisdom teeth are sometimes removed after the roots are somewhat developed, or at least three-fourths developed. This is usually in the adolescent years. In many cases, wisdom teeth do not grow in properly, have a proper bite relationship, or have healthy gum tissue around them. Often, wisdom teeth improperly erupt and become impacted, requiring them to be extracted, or pulled. Although they are like any other teeth, most people continue to have normal bites and well functioning sets of teeth in their absence. -
Caring for your child’s teeth can include various different practices and preventatives such as:
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People can prevent two of the most common diseases today - tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease - simply by improving their diet. Make sure your child has a balanced diet. Limit sugars and starches to help protect your child's teeth from decay.
Decay results when the hard tissues are destroyed by acid products from bacteria. Although poor nutrition does not directly cause periodontal disease, many researchers believe that the disease progresses faster and is more severe in patients whose diet does not supply the necessary nutrients. Poor nutrition can suppress your entire immune system, increasing your vulnerability to many disorders. People with lowered immune systems have been shown to be at higher risk for periodontal disease.
Studies are showing that dental disease is just as related to overeating as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.
Just like regular brushing, flossing, and semi-annual dental checkups, proper nutrition plays a critical role in the development of your child's teeth. A proper, balanced diet is one of the best things you can do as a parent to help ensure your child grows up with strong teeth and gums, and a healthy smile.
A healthy diet is a balanced diet that naturally supplies all the nutrients your child needs to grow. This includes fruits and vegetables; breads and cereals; milk and dairy products; meat, fish, and eggs.
A balanced diet is essential for healthy gum tissue around the teeth. A diet high in certain kinds of carbohydrates, such as sugar and starches, may place your child at extra risk of tooth decay. Harmful starchy foods include breads, crackers, pasta, and such snacks as pretzels and potato chips. Even fruits, a few vegetables and most milk products have at least one type of sugar. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for example, not only has sugar in the jelly, but may have sugar added to the peanut butter. Sugar is also added to such condiments as catsup and salad dressings.
Kids who consume too much soda and not enough nutritional beverages are prone to tooth decay in addition to serious ailments later in life, such as diabetes and osteoporosis. Drinking carbonated soft drinks regularly can contribute to the erosion of tooth enamel. Soft drinks contain sticky sugars that bacteria in our mouths use as an energy source. They break down into acids and adhere to tooth surfaces. Using a straw when drinking soda can help keep sugar away from teeth.
Remind your child to rinse his or her mouth with water after meals, especially during school, in order to leave their teeth free of sugar and acid.
A balanced diet does not assure that your child is getting enough fluoride. Fluoride protects teeth from tooth decay and helps heal early decay. Fluoride is in the drinking water of some towns and cities. Ask us if your water has fluoride in it. If it doesn't, we can discuss giving your child a prescription for fluoride drops. First, here are the essentials:
DO:Eat a balanced diet is one that includes fruits and vegetables; breads and cereals; milk and dairy products; meat, fish, and eggs. Crunchy, healthy fruits such as carrots and apples not only provide great nutrition, but also are a natural way to clean the teeth.
Minimize starchy foods such as breads, crackers, pasta, pretzels and potato chips. Remember, some foods that contain sugar or starch are much safer if they are consumed with a meal, not as a snack.
Be aware that some presumably healthy foods, such as peanut butter, jelly, catsup, salad dressings, raisins, pudding, dried fruits, chocolate milk, ice cream, fruit strips, milk shakes, and granola bars contain sugars that can break down and promote tooth decay. Ensure that your child brushes after eating these kinds of snacks.
DON'T:
Eat sweet or sticky foods between meals. Sticky foods, such as dried fruit or toffee, have more cavity-causing potential because they are not easily washed away from the teeth by saliva, water or milk.
Eat a diet that's high in carbohydrates like sugar and starches. This puts your child at a much higher risk for tooth decay.
Allow your child to eat any of these kinds of food without brushing immediately afterward: cake, gummy bears, cookies, sherbet, candy, popsicles and chocolate bars.
Allow your child to drink excessive amounts of soda.
Put your child to bed with a bottle containing formula, milk, juice or other sweet liquid. As your child sleeps, the liquid begins to pool in her mouth, essentially bathing her new teeth in enamel-destroying bacteria and other harmful substances. A bottle with water is a much more sensible alternative.
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Overview
Pain can occur in any number of places in your mouth: teeth, gums, roots, the palate, tongue and jaw.
Cavities are a common culprit causing pain. Untreated cavities can impact nerves because of infections of the tooth and gums. Impacted and abscessed teeth and sore jaws from teeth grinding are other common causes of pain.
Improper bite relationships and jaw disorders can also cause pain. Other sources of pain include sleep disorders, and headaches and neck aches.
Special splints can sometimes be applied to stabilize a bite. Bites can also be corrected with special orthodontic procedures, appliances and restoration techniques. -
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Amalgam - Material made from mercury and other alloy mixtures used to restore a drilled portion of a tooth.
Anesthesia - Medications used to relieve pain.
Anterior teeth - Front teeth. Also called incisors and cuspids.
Arch - The upper or lower jaw.B
Baby bottle tooth decay - Caused by sugary substances in breast milk and some juices, which combine with saliva to form pools inside the baby's mouth.
Bicuspids -A premolar tooth; tooth with two cusps, which are pointed or rounded eminences on or near the masticating surface of a tooth.
Bitewings - X-rays that help a dentist diagnose cavities.
Bonding - Application of tooth-colored resin materials to the surface of the teeth.
Bridge - A prosthetic replacement of one or more missing teeth cemented or otherwise attached to the abutment teeth or implant replacements.
Bruxism - Teeth grinding.C
Calculus - A hard deposit of mineralized substance adhering to crowns and/or roots of teeth or prosthetic devices.
Canal - The narrow chamber inside the tooth's root.
Canines - Also called cuspids.
Canker sore - One that occurs on the delicate tissues inside your mouth. A canker sore is usually light-colored at its base and can have a red exterior border.
Caries - A commonly used term for tooth decay, or cavities.
Cold sore - Usually occurs on the outside of the mouth, usually on or near the nose or lips. A cold sore is contagious because it is caused by the herpes simplex virus, and it is usually painful and filled with fluid.
Composite filling - Tooth colored restorations, also known as resin fillings.
Composite resin - A tooth colored resin combined with silica or porcelain and used as a restoration material.
Contouring - The process of reshaping teeth.
Crown - An artificial tooth replacement that restores missing tooth structure by surrounding the remaining coronal tooth structure. It is also placed on a dental implant.
Cusps - The pointed parts on top of the back teeth's chewing surface.
Cuspids - Front teeth that typically have a protruding edge.
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Dentin - The tooth layer underneath the enamel.E
Endodontics - A form of dentistry that addresses problems affecting the tooth's root or nerve.F
Fluoride - A harmless over-exposure to fluoride resulting in tooth discoloration.
Fluorosis - A harmless over-exposure to fluoride and resulting sometimes in tooth discoloration.G
Gingiva - Another word for gum tissue.
Gingivitis - A minor disease of the gums caused by plaque.
Gum disease - An infection of the gum tissues. Also called periodontal disease.I
Impacted teeth - A condition in which a tooth fails to erupt or only partially erupts.
Implant - A permanent appliance used to replace a missing tooth.
Incisor - Front teeth with cutting edges; located in the center or on the sides near the front.
Inlay - An artificial filling made of various materials, including porcelain, resin, or gold.L
Laminate veneer - A shell that is bonded to the enamel of a front tooth. The shell is usually thin and made from porcelain resin.M
Malocclusion - Bad bite relationship.
Mandible - The lower jaw.
Maxilla - The upper jaw.
Molar - Usually the largest teeth, near the rear of the mouth. Molars have large chewing surfaces.N
Neuromuscular Dentistry - Addresses more than the aches and pains felt in and around the neck and head that are associated with your teeth and jaw.O
Onlay - A filling designed to protect the chewing surface of a tooth.
Orthodontics - A field of dentistry that deals with tooth and jaw alignment.P
Palate - Roof of the mouth.
Partial denture - A removable appliance that replaces missing teeth.
Pediatric Dentistry - A field of dentistry that deals with children’s teeth
Perio pocket - An opening formed by receding gums.
Periodontal disease - Infection of the gum tissues. Also called gum disease.
Periodontist - A dentist who treats diseases of the gums.
Permanent teeth - The teeth that erupt after primary teeth. Also called adult teeth.
Plaque - A sticky, colorless substance that covers the teeth after sleep or periods between brushing.
Posterior teeth - The bicuspids and molars. Also called the back teeth.
Primary teeth - A person's first set of teeth. Also called baby teeth or temporary teeth.
Prophylaxis - The act of cleaning the teeth.
Prosthodontics - The field of dentistry that deals with artificial dental appliances.
Pulp - The inner tissues of the tooth containing blood, nerves and connective tissue.R
Receding gum - A condition in which the gums separate from the tooth, allowing bacteria and other substances to attack the tooth's enamel and surrounding bone.
Resin filling - An artificial filling used to restore teeth. Also called a composite filling.
Root canal - A procedure in which a tooth's nerve is removed and an inner canal cleansed and later filled.
Root planing - Scraping or cleansing of teeth to remove heavy buildup of tartar below the gum line.S
Sealant - A synthetic material placed on the tooth's surface that protects the enamel and chewing surfaces.
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TMJ - Temporomandibular joint disorder. Health problems related to the jaw joint just in front of the ear.
Tarter - A hardened substance (also called calculus) that sticks to the tooth’s surface.W
Whitening - A process that employs special bleaching agents for restoring the color of teeth.
Wisdom tooth - Third set of molars that erupt last in adolescence.