Let’s talk a little about the relationship between a kids dentist and orthodontics. All dental health specializations can work together to ensure your child’s proper dental development and improve or maintain their dental health.

Pediatric dentistry deals with very young patients and has a lot to do with the patient’s state of mind, whereas orthodontics deals with the patient’s teeth and jaw alignment. So how exactly can these specializations work together? What treatments take precedence? Continue reading for more.

The Value of Pediatric Dentistry

The relationship between a kids dentist and orthodontics starts from a very young age. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends parents take their children for a professional revision by age one or within six months of their child’s first tooth eruption.

No one expects major interventions around this age. You shouldn’t expect these visits to conclude in emergency fluoride applications or the extraction of your child’s only tooth. However, the idea is that a professional should start supervising your child’s dental development early to catch any potential complications before they become too severe.

You can and should do many things at home when it comes to maintaining your child’s good dental health. Think of simple things like rinsing your child’s first tooth with a damp cloth or choosing the right toothbrush.

Still,  some complex situations require professional help. Think of medical conditions like enamel hypoplasia or severe periodontitis. Indeed, there are situations in which professional help is not just convenient; it is outright essential.

Additionally, a pediatric dentist receives considerable training to promote a good relationship between younger patients and caregivers. Pediatric dentists make sure the environment at their practice is welcoming to younger patients. Even their tools change, focusing more on making the child as comfortable as possible during any intervention.

Pediatric dentists make sure that your child will always feel at ease and even excited for their next appointment at the end of each visit.

Isn’t Orthodontics for Teens or Older?

You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought that orthodontic treatment begins at a later age near a child’s teens. Nevertheless, there are many things we should do to avoid the need for complex and painful orthodontic treatments.

Orthodontia deals with the alignment of your child’s teeth and jaws. An orthodontist cannot start the primary portion of treatment unless most of your child’s permanent teeth have erupted. But any kid can suffer problems during their earlier years resulting in a negative impact on their jaws and teeth alignment.

Orthodontists might be limited to mostly long and painful corrective procedures if the child hasn’t enjoyed any primary dental treatments, which is why a pediatric dentist’s work is so crucial.

What Treatments Link a Kids Dentist and Orthodontics?

The idea is to ensure your kid’s dental health is as optimal as possible. To that end, there are several treatments to restore your child’s teeth functionality or prevent additional complications. We want to let your child have a healthy dental development.

Achieving this goal means working hard to avoid infections and decay or treat emergencies at the right time.

Restorative Dentistry

If your child suffers an accident where their teeth suffer significant trauma, they could prematurely lose a tooth. Children usually like to play a lot, and they can fall, trip over, and otherwise fail to avoid certain accidents. If their teeth chip or break, you should contact a dentist as soon as possible.

Another common situation is children losing teeth to decay. Unfortunately, over 40% of all children aged between 4 and 11 have suffered some tooth decay here in the US. Children’s primary teeth are more susceptible to harmful bacteria because their outer enamel layers are not as resistant as in permanent teeth.

If your child is at risk of prematurely losing a primary tooth, there is much a pediatric dentist can do. Pulpectomies, baby root canals, and tooth fillings can all help restore their teeth’ functionality, thus the name restorative dentistry.

Preventative Dentistry

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), preventing complex dental health complications is far better than correcting them. We emphasize that all parents should maintain or help develop good dental hygiene habits because we know how vulnerable primary teeth are.

As dentists here in Kids Healthy Teeth, we are committed to promoting good dental hygiene, engaging with parents, and teaching children to brush and floss their teeth properly.

Still, some situations require a little extra work. To that end, we offer various preventative treatments like fluoride applications, dental cleanings, and dental sealants.

These treatments clean away any plaque or tartar built up around your children’s teeth.

How Do These Treatments Affect Orthodontics?

Ultimately, the idea is to supervise your child’s regular dental development. All the procedures we mentioned before allow primary teeth to remain as healthy as possible until they naturally fall out and permanent teeth replace them.

Prematurely losing baby teeth means that the open space can shift the neighboring teeth’ position and result in complications like tooth overcrowding. This orthodontic condition can also result in an increased risk of periodontal disease, plaque buildup, halitosis (bad breath), and more.

Get Help at the Right Time

If you are here in Katy, make sure you get in touch with our office. Dr. Chen and Dr. Hunter-Griffith would love to help you and your child maintain good oral health and avoid any future problems with your child’s teeth.

Contact us over the phone at 281-579-8700 or set an appointment by clicking right here.