Pediatric Dentistry

Creating a life long, solid foundation for your child’s oral health is important and in order to create such a foundation it is important to get your child acquainted with the dentist as early as possible. Not only will this ensure that your child’s primary teeth and adult teeth are well taken care of, but it can help prevent or reduce the fear of visiting the dentist by instilling good habits early on.

At Rosthern Dental we are fortunate enough to have a dental therapist who has a lot of experience specifically working with children. She, and all our staff, will help to keep your child feeling comfortable and safe during any procedure that might be required.

Common Primary Tooth Concerns

With primary teeth it is important to catch any problem early, even before pain sets in. Often once a baby tooth is painful it is too late. Therefore it is key to monitor your child’s teeth and be proactive in preventing oral health concerns.

Overcrowding of teeth, or proper spacing, is often one of the biggest concerns facing a child’s oral development. Early loss of baby (primary) teeth can lead to overcrowding or crooked adult teeth. That’s why it’s important to come see our team at Rosthern Dental early on in your child’s development – we will be able to monitor and suggest how best to proceed to ensure your child’s oral development proceeds on track.

We will help you and your child learn the importance of brushing twice a day and how to properly floss to keep your child’s teeth healthy and smiling. This is by far the best way to combat a wide variety of oral health concerns and getting good habits formed early will set your child off in the right direction for the rest of their life!

What about tooth pain and pain relief for my child?

In general, pain relief following a regular check up and teeth cleaning is not necessary. However, sometimes your child will need a treatment during their visit that will require some form of pain relief or mitigation.

We will assess the situation and determine if something like a freezing treatment is best for your child. The freezing treatment for children works just the same as adults. We will apply a topical anesthetic to numb the gums which is followed by a local anesthetic to freeze deeper tissues and teeth. This will allow the procedure to take place with no pain for your child.

At home following the procedures pain can usually be managed with a children’s Tylenol or Advil. Your dentist at the time will be able to recommend specifics to you about helping manage your child’s pain after the procedure is completed.

The Dentist Can be Scary – but we don’t have to be!

Dentists are full of scary things to a child – bright lights shining in their faces, weird noises, sharp looking tools and strangers who poke at your teeth can all add up to a scary experience. Alleviating this fear early on in your child’s life, however, will help to ensure that they keep up with their oral health throughout their lives.

One of the main drivers of fear is fear of the unknown and the best way to fight this fear is through helping your child understand and equipping your child with the knowledge to face that fear. Talking about what the dentist is, what they will do and why it is important can do a lot in breaking down the fear of the dentist.

Through television, movies and other media your child might be presented with the idea that the dentist is a horrible, scary place. But if you speak positively about the dentist (regardless of your own feelings) you can help to counter these sentiments and make the dentist just another part of your child’s routine, like a hair cut or going to the doctor for a check up.