Children’s Dentistry

Your Child's First Visit

At Cynthia Stephenson DDS, we feel the first "regular" dental visit should be after your child already has their first several teeth. The first dental visit is usually short and involves very little treatment. We may ask the parent to sit in the dental chair and hold their child during the examination. We count the teeth and familiarize the child with the unique tools we use to polish the teeth. The initial introduction, while we check the mouth and teeth, is more about the child having a good experience and the education for the parent or care giver. 

Your child should have check-ups and cleanings generally every six months. 

When your child has back molars, we will gently examine your child's teeth and gums. X-rays may be taken (to reveal decay and check on the progress of your child's permanent teeth under the gums). We will clean your child's teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect the teeth against decay. We will make sure your child is receiving adequate fluoride at home. Most important of all, we will review with you how to clean and care for your child's teeth.

What should I tell my child about the first dental visit?

We are asked this question many times. We suggest you prepare your child the same way that you would before their first haircut or trip to the shoe store. Your child's reaction to his first visit to the dentist may surprise you.

Here are some "First Visit" tips:

• Take your child for a "preview" or online tour of the office.
• Read books with them about going to the dentist.
• Review with them what the dentist will be doing at the time of the first visit.
• Speak positively about your own dental experiences

During your first visit the dentist will:

• Examine your mouth, teeth and gums and count your teeth
• Evaluate adverse habits like thumb sucking
• Check to see if you need Fluoride
• Teach you about cleaning your teeth and gums
• Teach you about foods that are healthy for your teeth
• Suggest a schedule for regular dental visits.

What about preventative care?

Tooth decay and children no longer have to go hand in hand. At our office we are most concerned with all aspects of preventive care. We use the latest in sealant technology to protect your child's teeth. Sealants are space-age plastics that are bonded to the chewing surfaces of decay prone back teeth. This is just one of the ways we will set the foundation for your child's lifetime of good oral health.

Cavity Prevention

Most of the time cavities are due to a diet high in sugary foods and a lack of brushing. Limiting sugar intake and brushing regularly, of course, can help. The longer it takes your child to chew their foods the longer the residue stays on their teeth, the greater the chances of getting cavities.

Every time someone eats, an acid reaction occurs inside their mouth as the bacteria digests the sugars. During this time the acid environment can destroy the tooth structure, eventually leading to cavities.

Consistency of a person's saliva also makes a difference; thinner saliva breaks up and washes away food more quickly. When a person eats diets high in carbohydrates and sugars they tend to have thicker saliva, which in turn allows more of the acid-producing bacteria that can cause cavities.

Tips for cavity prevention:

• Limit frequency of meals and snacks.
• Encourage brushing, flossing and rinsing.
• Watch what you drink, avoid beverages with sugar throughout the day.
• Avoid sticky foods.
• If treats are offered, make them part of the meals.
• Choose nutritious snacks.
• Parents always perform the final brushing even until the children are 8, sometimes longer if hygiene is poor.

The first baby teeth that come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. You will notice this when your baby is about 6-8 months old. Next to follow will be the 4 upper front teeth and the remainder of your baby's teeth will appear periodically. They will usually appear in pairs along the sides of the jaw until the child is about 2 1/2 years old.

At around 2 1/2 years old your child should have all 20 teeth. Between the ages of 5 and 6 the first permanent teeth will begin to erupt. Some of the permanent teeth replace baby teeth and some don't. Don't worry if some teeth are a few months early or late as all children are different. As soon as the permanent molars are in the mouth, you should consider sealants as an added prevention on these teeth.

Baby teeth are important as they not only hold space for permanent teeth but they are important to chewing, biting, speech and appearance.

For this reason it is important to maintain a healthy diet and daily hygiene.

During the mixed dentition stage your child will have some baby teeth and some adult teeth. We will continue to work with you on healthy practices and may recommend that your child have their initial consultation with the orthodontist around 7 years old. In some cases a phase 1 orthodontic treatment will be recommended to help utilize the natural growth and development.
This will help us professionally guide you to optimize development and the space for the permanent teeth.

The early teen years are critical for your child to develop great eating and hygiene habits. We will continue to guide and support this process. Specific care during orthodontics will be reviewed with you.

High school is the time that typically the wisdom teeth are identified and evaluated. We want to continue to guide your young adults care so that the alignment and periodontal health are optimized.