Milk teeth, which usually start to erupt 6 months after birth, are 20 in total and it takes until the age of 2.5 for all the teeth to erupt. Milk teeth are anatomically and structurally different from permanent teeth and are less resistant to decay and abrasion. The main purpose of deciduous teeth is to help the child feed and speak. At the same time, these teeth have the task of replacing the permanent teeth.
A decaying or infected deciduous tooth causes pain during feeding and can lead to the development of different problems related to malnutrition for children. Therefore, the health of deciduous teeth in children is important both in terms of preserving the aesthetic appearance and health of the mouth and maintaining normal child development. Another risk of decaying deciduous teeth is not being able to hold the necessary space for the permanent teeth that will come in later ages, as a result, unhealthy deciduous teeth are an important risk factor for future oral space constrictions.
Milk teeth in the mouth begin to fall out between the ages of 6 and 12, and during this period, permanent teeth and milk teeth coexist. The presence of decayed deciduous teeth in the mouth during the mixed dentition period adversely affects the health of the newly emerging permanent teeth. For this reason, it is important to protect children's dental health properly and to apply preventive treatments on time. The person who performs these applications is called "pedodontist".
The main purpose of pedodontists is to prevent dental problems that may occur in children and to apply the necessary preventive treatments. The situations that fall within the job description of the pedodontist are listed as follows:
- Preventing the development of fear of dentists in children
- Informing both the family and the child about oral and dental health
- Shaping children's eating habits
- Eliminating problems that can cause tooth decay
- Preventing dental caries with preventive practices
- To apply the necessary endodontic and restorative work
- Applying preventive orthodontic treatments
- Controlling child jaw and tooth development, eliminating existing problems
- Preventing unhealthy oral habits such as finger sucking and pencil biting
- Pulling milk teeth
- To control the relevant follow-up and treatment stages in children with dental trauma
- To perform placeholder prosthesis applications when necessary
- Performing conditions requiring special attention or surgery under sedation and anesthesia
Gaining awareness about oral and dental health at a young age is important for dental health in later years. For this reason, children's dental health should be regularly checked by specialist pedodontists and related treatments should be applied on time.
