Pedodontics is the branch of dentistry that deals exclusively with children’s teeth. The teeth are at their most important stage when they are emerging early in life and how they are cared for then can determine their health for the rest of their life. Pedodontics focuses primarily on monitoring growth and development, preventing disease and restorative techniques for children’s teeth. As with all branches of healthcare, when it involves children there is an extra dimension of skill involved that requires the dentist to have more training. For this reason, pedodontists carry out an extra couple of years of training to specialised in the field, after their initial dental degree. This means you can be sure that your child’s teeth are in the best, most specially trained hands.
When it comes to children’s teeth, preventing tooth decay is at the very top of the tree of importance. Poor oral health in children can lead to underperformance in school as well as many social and confidence problems because of teasing. It is therefore crucial that your child’s teeth are well looked after and healthy and that they develop good oral hygiene problems early in life.
As pedodontists generally care for children in their early formative years, they deal mainly with primary, or baby, teeth. Even though these are lost at about the age of six or seven they can still have huge impact on the way the adult teeth develop. As well as prevention, they also deal with problems associated with sucking thumbs and dummies as well as any emergency issues that may arise with the dental health of young children. Ask your Toxteth dentist for more information about pedodontists or if you have any query about the health of your child’s teeth
You can never underestimate the importance of oral hygiene and looking after the health of your teeth. The teeth are one of the most important parts of the body, used everyday and essential for eating and speech amongst other things. Yet they are one of the most taken for granted parts of the body and all too often people assume they will be around forever. But as many patients find out all too late, the teeth are susceptible to many health problems that can cause pain and result in the need for costly dental treatment.
In terms of dentistry, occlusion simply means the way that the teeth contact each other. In a more specific sense it is the way the top row of teeth and the bottom sit together. This is also known as the bite and is a key factor in dentistry and the overall health of your teeth. So many factors about your teeth are determined by the bite and even a slight problem can affect them negatively.
Although the first thing many people reach for when they think they have bad breath is mouthwash, this may not be the answer to their problem and in some cases could even be making it worse. Mouthwash is effective against bad breath but only in the short term, by masking the smell, but doesn’t actually remove the cause of the problem, so it returns. Most studies indicate that the bad breath will come back anywhere between ten minutes and two hours after using the mouthwash.
Your teeth are constantly under threat from plaque, bacteria and many other elements that exist in the oral cavity. Plaque and bacteria build up around the teeth, coating them and eating away at the surface enamel. This causes cavities and dental decay which ultimately results in pain and tooth loss. The worse the decay becomes, the harder it is to treat and the more it will cost you. This is why dentists recommend that you should brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. This also helps to keep your gums healthy, preventing gum disease and protecting your general health.