Hi, I'm Dr. Amy from Boulder Canyon Dental, and today I wanted to go over some common questions about kids' dental care to give you a better understanding of when you should bring your child to the dentist and what to expect when you're there.
When do I need to bring my kid to the dentist?
At Boulder Canyon Dental, we recommend every child see a dentist either by age six months or at the time that the first tooth erupts. This is important just to make sure we create a nice, comfortable experience so that the child is getting to know us and knows that this isn't a scary, horrible place.
What happens at that visit?
At the initial visit, it depends on age, depends on what exactly we're going to do. For our younger kiddos, especially for that first visit, we let them really drive the appointment. So if they're very comfortable with us, maybe we'll get a full exam and do the full cleaning that day. If they're very nervous, then it's going to be more about introducing us, getting to know them, and getting them comfortable with the surroundings of our office. For our older kids, we like to see them come in, do the full cleaning, full exam, and take photos of all of their teeth. We feel, or we have found, that it helps children to see all the deep pits and grooves of the teeth and gives them a better understanding of why it's so important to take their time brushing. Typically, we recommend X-rays at age six, but if we do see anything concerning under that age, that would be a discussion we would have with the guardian and how comfortable they are with the X-ray imaging.
Do I have to treat cavities on baby teeth?
All cavities should be treated, even if they're on baby teeth. Oftentimes, we get the question, "This tooth is just going to fall out, can't we just wait for that to happen?" Most of the time, it's better to treat that cavity because we're going to prevent pain, we're going to prevent discoloration, we're going to prevent damage to the other teeth in the mouth, and we're going to give that tooth time to just fall out naturally on its own so that the new tooth has plenty of space to come in.
I don't think my child wants a shot.
The scariest part of coming to the dentist for children is really knowing that they're going to get a shot. So anytime we do treatment, we always make it as comfortable as possible by taking every step that we can. In most cases, if we are working on a baby tooth, nitrous oxide is enough anesthetic that we don't even need a shot at all, which is one of the main reasons why here at Boulder Canyon Dental, we offer free nitrous oxide for all children under the age of 12.
Can I be in the room?
At Boulder Canyon Dental, we love having guardians in the room while the child is getting care. This helps keep their comfort level with us and their trust with us, as well as you. At Boulder Canyon Dental, we love having a guardian in the room for every appointment. This helps keep the child comfortable, calm, and really lets them relax and trust us that they know that they're getting the best care. We also know that for some adults, the dental office is not the most comfortable place to be, so if you would prefer to wait in the lobby, we do make sure that we keep you informed as everything goes so that way you know exactly where you're at and you're free to check in at any time.
Do some kids do better without their parents in the room?
As a parent, I know that every child is very different. Some children do great with their parents in the room; some children prefer to be alone and more independent. That's something that we can help determine with you if you are unsure. Most parents coming in already are aware of where their child's comfort is going to be.
I don't want a crown.
In cases where baby teeth get cavities that are just too big for a filling, just like an adult tooth, we're going to recommend a crown. With baby teeth, we do stainless steel crowns, which is not ideal for most parents or their kids, and I understand that as a mom. But the benefits far outweigh the downside. With a stainless steel crown, we're able to preserve a lot of healthy tooth structure because it is such a thin material. It's also very comfortable for kids to eat with, so we're not doing a lot of adjustments, they're not avoiding eating, they're keeping it comfortable. Doing a crown instead of a filling in these cases, where the cavity is just so large, also prevents us from losing that tooth over time. If we're doing a large filling in a baby tooth, just like an adult tooth biting into the wrong thing, that tooth is going to break, and now we're dealing with pain, discomfort, and we're pulling a tooth early and risking braces down the road because now we don't have room for the adult teeth to come in.
Can I get a tooth-colored crown if it's a front tooth?
If it's a front tooth, we're going to do everything we can to give you a tooth-colored restoration. Since these are smaller teeth, in general, we see a lot of success by doing fillings. If it is a very aggressive cavity and we have to move to a crown, we can mill that here the same day, just like an adult crown.
At Boulder Canyon Dental, we treat your child's dental needs, whether it's fillings, crowns, pulpotomies, or space maintainers. Same day, we are here to help. If you would like to schedule your child for a visit or if you have more questions for us and our process, please give us a call at (970) 514-0662. We're here to help.
