What is Pedodontics (Pediatric Dentistry)?
Pedodontics or pediatric dentistry is a branch of science that aims to protect the health and treat the diseases of the primary and permanent teeth of children aged 0-14. All necessary dental treatments to children are applied by the pedodontists. The perfect oral and dental health of children can be achieved with regular dental check-ups every six months. During these controls, all kinds of problems that threaten oral and dental health can be detected. The early diagnosis and treatment of these problems are essential. Early diagnosis in pediatric patients will positively affect the physical and emotional development of the child.
Why a Pedodontist should be Preferred for the Treatment of Pediatric Teeth?
Children's teeth are different from adults’ teeth. Due to their eating habits, problems such as decay, tooth loss and pain in the teeth of children at an early age are encountered more frequently. Children are not as resilient as adults. Therefore, they may fear treatment. They may develop a phobia towards the dentist over time and may avoid going to the dentist in the future because of this phobia. Pedodontics has been developed as a separate branch of dentistry to avoid such a situation.
Treatment of your child by a pedodontist is an important step to eliminate the fear of the dentist that may occur in the future and to make your child a more conscious individual about dental health. Because pedodontists initially aim to gain the child's love and trust with appropriate psychological approaches, and then aim to perform dental treatments painlessly with a gradual treatment approach from simple treatments to more comprehensive ones.
What Do Pediatric Dentists Do?
The first teeth begin to appear 6-7 months after birth and are completed by the age of two. These primary teeth, which are also defined as baby teeth, are 20 temporary teeth. These teeth remain until the age of 7, and from the age of seven, these teeth start to shed with the development of the permanent teeth at the root tips. The eruption of baby teeth is usually completed by the age of 11. Pediatric dentists primarily aim to carry out the dental treatment process in a fun and cheerful atmosphere for children.
The treatments applied by pediatric dentists may be listed as follows:
To detect decay or potential cavity in teeth groups in children and initiate the treatment process.
To carry out treatments specific to children’s teeth such as filling, amputation, root canal treatment, regenerative dental treatment (revitalizing the teeth), apexification (canal treatment of undeveloped teeth), extraction, space maintainer and fluoride applications, etc.
To perform the treatment of traumatized, broken, and dislocated teeth.
To determine protective measures for children's teeth and gums.
To offer suggestions in eating habits for reducing the foods that might be harmful for the teeth
To follow the development of both jaw and teeth by applying preventive orthodontic treatments and to intervene in case of any problems.
