Pediatric Dentists

Pedodontics 
It is a department that provides healthy protection of milk and permanent teeth of children aged 0-13 years and aims to eliminate the problems caused by caries, trauma, hereditary and similar factors in these teeth. Milk teeth are mostly 6 after birth. It starts to last a month and is completed at the age of 2.5-3 years. A total of 20 milk teeth occupy a very important place in the growth and development of a child. 

Milk teeth guide the growth and development of the child by providing nutrition, ensure the smoothness of speech by ensuring the correct extraction of sounds, and serve as a placeholder for permanent teeth. Aesthetic-looking baby teeth, on the other hand, positively affect the child's appearance and psychology. Due to the structure of milk teeth and the inability of children to provide effective cleaning, they are resistant to caries and abrasion. For this reason, caries caused by periodic dental checkups should be detected at an early stage and their treatment should be performed. 

With the extraction of milk teeth that are too late for intervention, the child's growth and development are disrupted, speech disorders may occur, problems caused by tooth loss may lead to psychological problems in the child. In addition, since milk teeth hold the places of permanent teeth that will come from under, the location required for permanent teeth changes in case of any tooth loss, and confusion or cavities occur in the teeth at a later age. 

Usually, permanent teeth begin to grow from the age of 6, and there are both milk teeth and permanent teeth in the mouth by the age of 12. In some cases, the fact that milk teeth do not fall out on time causes permanent teeth to remain embedded or to last in different positions. With the implementation of the necessary treatments at an early stage, the teeth will settle into their proper position on the jawbone. 

When should the first dentist visit be? 
Children should be taken to the dentist for checking purposes after the first tooth applying. After that, a visit to the dentist should be repeated every 6 months for check-up purposes. The clinical examination of the child by the dentist has two stages. 
1. Step: Examination from Outside the Mouth: The size, shape and proportions of this region are observed during the head-face examination. 
2. Step: Intraoral Examination: This examination includes the examination of teeth and soft tissues while the mouth is open, as well as observations made while the teeth are in a closing state. 

What practices are performed in pedodontics? 
1- Dental Care Training 
2- Protective Applying  
- Fissure Sealer Applying  
- Fluorine Applying  
3- Dental Cleaning 
4- Tooth Extraction Treatments 
5- Conservative and Endodontic Treatments 
6- Fracture Treatments 
7- Placeholders 

Why are milk teeth important?  
Milk teeth have a total of 20. The most important task of milk teeth is to ensure the nutrition of the child. In addition, the proper development of speech also depends on the presence of milk teeth. Milk teeth protect the area they cover for the permanent tooth that will replace them and provide guidance to it while the permanent tooth lasts. When the milk tooth is pulled out early, this natural placeholder function also disappears. 

What treatments are performed for milk tooth caries? 
Caries caused by the structure of milk teeth can progress quickly and reach the dental nerve. Caries caught early is treated with fillers, and veneers can be applied to the teeth in cases where the filler will not hold. If the bruise has reached a part of the nerve, a filling is performed by removing the inflamed part of the nerve with a treatment called amputation. Root canal treatment for milk teeth is a difficult and not always possible treatment option. For this reason, dental caries should be treated without progression. Tooth extraction is performed in caries that occur on milk teeth close to falling out. 

What are the problems that untreated baby teeth can cause? 
Untreated baby teeth can lead to infection, causing abscess formation in the child, fever, severe pain and the spread of infection to other organs. The resulting infection can also affect the permanent teeth under it, leading to a delay in lasting and deformities. 

What precautions should be taken in case of early milk tooth loss? 
When milk teeth are lost early, it should be decided whether placeholder applying is needed under orthodontist or pedodontist control. In case of multiple tooth losses, toothed placeholders are made so that children can perform functions such as nutrition and speech. 

When should teeth be started to be brushed? 
From the moment the baby teeth first come out, the tooth surfaces should be cleaned with a clean gauze or cheesecloth. Jul. There are also wipes and baby toothbrushes sold specifically for this. When the back teeth are applied after 2.5-3 years of age, the teeth should be brushed with a children's toothbrush and children's toothpaste 2 times a day under parental control. The paste should not be swallowed and should be used in small amounts. 

What are the harmful habits for teeth in childhood? 
If finger sucking and pacifier use is continued after 2-3 years of age, problems such as orthodontic disorders, upper jaw stenosis and lower jaw lagging may occur. Applying foods such as honey, jam during the use of the pacifier can cause widespread bruises in children. 

Why do tooth stains occur in a child?  
The main causes of discoloration, which can occur for various reasons, are insufficient oral hygiene, some bacterial species settling on the teeth, the use of coloring drugs such as iron medication. Especially the coloration occurring on the front teeth can cause psychological problems in children along with aesthetic anxiety, lack of self-confidence, isolation from the environment. After the cause of these discolorations has been determined by the dentist, they can be removed with a simple dental cleaning. 

What are fissure sealants useful for? 
It is a fluid filler that closes the deep and decay-prone fissures (grooves) on the chewing surfaces of permanent teeth, preventing bacteria from reaching here and thus preventing caries. Fissure sealer applying should be checked every 6 months. 

What is the fluoride applying? 
Fluorine is an element that prevents tooth decay and strengthens the structure of teeth. Since the tooth enamel does not fully mature when the teeth are first applied, newly applied teeth are usually less resistant to caries and prone to caries formation. Fluoride protects the tooth against acid attacks by strengthening the tooth enamel and therefore helps to prevent the formation of dental caries. Professional superficial fluoride application is a preventive method that can only be applied by dentists and should be applied by a dentist every 6 months.