We offer a full range of dental care for children. Dr. Morse has successfully treated children as young as 24 months without general anesthesia.
Many parents ask: ask what age should a child have a first dental visit?
There is no answer that is appropriate for all. Tooth decay can occur as soon as a tooth has erupted into the mouth. The first teeth to erupt are usually the lower central incisors, usually by age 6 months. For most children all twenty deciduous teeth have erupted by age two - three. A dental check-up at this age permits the dentist to check the health of the teeth and gums, to note whether the teeth are erupting on schedule, and to familiarize the child with the dental office. This can lead to healthy dental habits from the start and may allow the child a head start on a lifetime of good dental health.
Dental phobia or fear of going to the dentist is a learned behavior. Children should not be threatened with the prospect of going to the dentist.
For very young children age three or younger, a get-acquainted visit during which little or no treatment is done may be a good idea. The child is familiarized with the dental office and the routine procedures performed during a check-up and cleaning.
Dental cleaning and check-up in children Radiographs are exposed, usually 2-4 films. The dentist examines the child, noting treatment needs and the health and state of development of the mouth. The child's teeth are polished and fluoride is applied. Treatment needs are discussed with the parent. In some cases, treatment needs can be completed the same day as the cleaning.
Many children can be treated without having to resort to dangerous drugs.
Certain procedures can be done without painful local anesthesia injections, using Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) instead to relieve anxiety.
Children below age 5 tend to have limited ability to cooperate. Appointments should be scheduled early in the day, with lengthy procedures avoided and time spent in the dental chair as brief as possible.
Deciduous or "baby" teeth are smaller and weaker than permanent teeth. Decay and wear can cause problems more quickly than in permanent teeth. Children should be brought to the dentist as soon as possible if the parents suspects a problem because of the rapidity at which problems can progress in deciduous teeth.
Baby-bottle caries occurs in children that have been given sugar-containing beverages in the baby bottle or tippy-cup. Decay in these cases is rampant destroying exposed tooth surfaces. In those cases where the teeth are salvable, pulpotomies (a form of root canal treatment for a baby tooth) and crowns are often needed.
Pulpotomy is a procedure in which the pulp chamber of a deciduous tooth is opened. A disinfecting medicament is placed in the pulp chamber after which a cement with disinfectant properties is placed. This procedure should be considered a last-resort step to save a tooth that would otherwise be extracted. After the pulpotomy is done the tooth is restored with either a composite restoration or a ...
Stainless Steel Crown which permits an otherwise fractured tooth to be functional and equally important to maintain the space that will be needed for the normal eruption of the permanent tooth that replaces the deciduous tooth.
Space Maintainers are indicated when a deciduous tooth is lost and the permanent tooth is not ready to erupt for an extended period of time. In some cases, the remaining teeth can drift into the empty space of the missing tooth and cause difficulty for normal eruption of the permanent tooth.
Orthodontics Naturally correct Class I occlusion actually occurs in only about one-third of people. One could say that crooked teeth are "normal." Orthodontic treatment can involve 2-4 years of treatment with orthodontic bands and brackets. Interceptive orthodontic treatment is done in younger children to prevent crowding and other malocclusions from worsening and becoming more difficult to treat.
Sealants are tooth colored composite filling materials that are placed in the grooves of the biting surfaces of posterior teeth. The sealant fills the space that would normally harbor the bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay.
Preventive resin restorations (PRR) are similar to sealants in that composite fillings are placed in the grooves of the posterior teeth. In the case of the PRR the grooves are first cleaned with a dental drill.
Composite Fillings Dr Morse uses non-toxic composite restorations almost exclusively. While amalgam (silver) restorations have been used for hundreds of years, many parents are concerned about the toxicity of the mercury used in silver fillings. Tooth-colored composite restorations provide for better esthetics and can last as long as the deciduous tooth will be viable in the mouth.
Amalgam (Silver) Fillings In some rare cases silver fillings may be indicated for caries-prone children because of the better cariostatic properties of amalgams.
