Pediatric dentistry
Clinique Dentaire du Lac
Dental caries in young children can go unnoticed. Indeed, if children are not regularly monitored at the dental surgery, they are only detected in very advanced and often infectious stages.
Tooth decay is an infectious disease that needs to be treated, just like a bad cold or strep throat.
If left untreated, the infection can then spread along the roots of the baby tooth, creating a dental abscess.
This infection can have repercussions on your child’s general health, with the possible appearance of fever and lymph nodes.
Another important consequence of neglecting a temporary tooth is damage to the nearby germ of the permanent tooth, resulting in eruption defects, as well as defects in the shape and color of the permanent teeth.
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Preventing tooth decay through proper brushing and a balanced diet is the best way to avoid cavities in children.
It is therefore absolutely essential to take your child to see a dentist regularly, at least once a year, from the age of 2, to prevent and treat any incipient cavities.
Detecting and treating cavities in baby teeth is essential for children’s oral health, but it’s the parents who are able to keep an eye on their children’s good oral health, thanks to appropriate monitoring and advice.
Child’s 1st dental check-up
The first visit to the dentist can take place very early, around the age of 2.
This first meeting, which focuses on prevention, will give you all the explanations you need about the future development of your child’s teeth, assess the risks specific to each child, and advise you on the main preventive measures for the health of your child’s teeth (brushing, fluoride, diet…).
The family environment will also be taken into account (presence of caries sensitivities, for example). It is then necessary to visit the dental practice for check-ups at least once a year.
These preventive visits enable us to check whether there are any abnormalities (malposition of the teeth, abnormal discoloration, presence of decay, tartar, etc.), as well as to ensure that the baby teeth are falling out smoothly and the permanent teeth are coming in.
The first visit is usually a simple contact, with no anaesthetic and no cavities to treat!
It’s important to reassure your child, and not to influence him or her with your own personal fears. In principle, if your child does not feel any apprehension on your part, the visits will go smoothly.
For subsequent visits, you can stay in the treatment room with your child up to the age of 5. However, for children aged 8 and over, systematically accompanying them to the treatment room can destabilize them or lead them to believe that they are in danger.
To preserve children’s dental capital, it is recommended, as a preventive measure, to familiarize them with the dental surgery from an early age.
This essential appointment allows children to gain confidence and gives parents all the useful information concerning their dental health.