Pediatric Dentistry

What does pediatric dentistry include?

Pediatric dentistry includes using sealants to help prevent cavities and tooth decay on a child’s back molars. This is a proven preventive treatment that works by applying a thin acrylic coating over the teeth and allowing it to harden, which keeps out unwanted bacteria and plaque that could otherwise harm the teeth.

Additionally, using fluoride applications to strengthen your child’s tooth enamel is extremely helpful in preventing decay. This involves applying fluoride directly to the teeth—it will bond the enamel and help keep teeth strong and healthy, it could even reverse decay.

What makes Dental Reflections Dublin different?

We provide a warm, fun, and friendly environment that will help your children relax and feel more receptive to the examinations and treatments.

We encourage parents and family members to be with their children and interact with them throughout the treatment to further strengthen the kids’ feeling of safety and security.

Our staff will carefully go through the dental evaluation and the available and recommended treatment options with the parents so that they can arrive at a fully informed decision.

Teaching children about good dental care habits can help lay down a firm foundation for excellent dental self-care as they grow older and throughout the rest of their life. This is why choosing the right dentist is important.

When should I start brushing my child's teeth?

Parents commonly wonder when is the right time to start brushing baby teeth. We recommend that you start brushing their baby teeth as soon as their first tooth comes in. Brush your child’s teeth twice a day, using a small amount of toothpaste—approximately the size of a grain of rice.It is important to keep baby teeth cavity free. The bacteria that causes cavities in baby teeth can remain in the mouth and can cause cavities in permanent teeth.

Just because baby teeth will eventually fall out, doesn’t mean that they’re not important.  Not only do baby teeth help kids eat and speak, they also hold space in the jawline where permanent teeth will come in.

You can take care of your child’s oral health before their teeth come in by wiping your baby’s gums after each feeding and before bedtime, and avoiding cleaning pacifiers with your mouth.

What are the common issues of dental health in children?

Many of a kid’s dental problems are the same ones affecting adults, but as children’s teeth are still developing, untreated dental conditions can cause poor and misaligned tooth development, leading to a more serious problem as a child grows up.

Some of the most common issues with children are:

• Tooth decay
• Bad breath
• Sensitive teeth
• Thumb-sucking
• Gum disease
• Teeth grinding
• Canker sores
• Baby teeth-loss
• Over-retained primary teeth
• Dental Anxiety

How can thumb sucking affect my child’s teeth?

Thumb sucking can have negative effects on children’s oral health, but this isn’t always the case. Prolonged sucking on any object, such as a thumb or pacifier, places repetitive pressure on the teeth, mouth, and jawbone. This pressure can cause issues with the growth of your child’s mouth and/or alignment of their permanent teeth.

It is a common misconception that you don’t have to worry about your child’s thumb sucking habit until their permanent teeth start to come in, but damage can occur before that. The risk of thumb sucking negatively affecting your child’s teeth depends on how long, how often, and how intensely your child sucks their thumb. Some long-term effects can include:

• Open bite: the top and bottom front teeth become directed outward, causing the front teeth to not touch even when your child’s mouth is closed. This misalignment can require orthodontic correction in the future.
• Overbite: the top teeth cover the bottom teeth when your child’s mouth is closed rather than the top and bottom teeth touching normally.
• Changes in jaw shape: a misaligned jaw can result in speech impediments like lisping or mispronouncing of certain letters