Kids / Children Dental Care Clinics Windermere
Kids Dentistry
Our general dentists have experience treating children from six months to 12 or 13 years when their adult teeth develop.
At Glenridding Dental Clinic, we recommend early oral care in babies to ensure good teeth and oral habits to prevent cavities, gum infections, and other diseases.
Early childhood is the most crucial part of teeth development. It is a transitional phase when children lose their baby teeth and permanent teeth set in. Regular dental check-ups and cleanings are highly recommended at this stage to prevent future complications.
Fun Visit
Visiting a dentist can be fun! Glenridding Dental Clinic, Edmonton, has a friendly and engaging environment for your child. Instead of using regular dental vocabulary, we aim to be innovative by using different terminology for dental instruments. We cultivate an interest and erase the fear associated with dental examinations. For example, we refer to “x-ray” as “picture” and tell our little patients, “Let’s take a picture to count your teeth.”
We strive to make children’s first visits informative and fun-filled by introducing them to our equipment. Once they feel safe, they are ready for their next visits.
Out-of-the box approach
- Tell-Show-Do Technique
This technique involves showing the child what we will do and how the instrument or tool looks and functions. For example, the dental water jet is commonly called a whistle. We demonstrate by spraying water from the whistle onto the child’s nail and showing them how we will wash their teeth. This is a great way to gain their trust.
- Grand Prize for a Cavity-Free Next Visit
There are special toys for children with cavity-free teeth. Such rewards motivate children to brush and floss daily. For more information, visit your child’s general dentist in Edmonton.
Digital X-rays (pictures of the teeth)
Unlike film-based x-rays, digital x-rays deliver less radiation and offer immediate and precise images. The image format is versatile and is easily stored, retrieved, or shared electronically.
Dental x-rays, or dental radiographs, are recommended for viewing teeth structures and jawbones. Digital x-rays are safer than traditional film-based x-rays. For your child’s safety, we take extra precautions by using lead aprons and thyroid collars to shield their body from radiation.
Sealants
Every new molar and premolar that erupts in the mouth has a pit and fissure called a groove. Food particles build up in these grooves, which become the breeding ground for bacteria, increasing cavities. Conversely, as we chew food, the grinding process makes these grooves shallow.
Preventive Measures:
Dental sealants can prevent cavity damage. In this procedure, we clean the infected grooves with a brush. This is followed by etchant application, which increases the surface area for bonding. We then apply a bonding agent and resin that flows into the grooves. We dry the liquid resin with a high-intensity light such as LED.
The dried resin forms a hard layer, protects the tooth from further damage or decay, prevents food lodgement, and releases fluoride. This procedure is entirely pain-free, and no needle or anesthesia is needed.
Coloured Restoration
To make tooth fillings more exciting for children, we offer colored tooth restoration fillings in different colors such as red, orange, blue, or green. These colored fillings are safe and made of the same composite material as the regular tooth-colored fillings.
If we find any cavities on the children’s teeth during fun visits, we say, “Hey, kiddo! We found some ‘sugar bugs’ on your teeth, and they have eaten away a part of your tooth. Now that the tooth is sad, we need to wash it with a whistle and make it beautiful with a color of your choice.” This technique has worked well with children, and we have witnessed them proudly showing their colored teeth to their peers.
Stainless Steel Crown
Stainless Steel Crowns (SSC) are recommended for weak and damaged teeth. Stainless steel crowns for children are different from the crowns we place on adult teeth. SSC’s are usually placed on the back teeth, which perform hard bites and may have extensive decay. Stainless steel crowns are ready-made and require significantly less chairside time. These metal crowns provide additional strength and protection to the tooth, so it’s less likely to develop cavities.
Kids Smile Makeover
Your dentist can treat decayed front teeth with direct composites in a single visit. Baby bottle tooth decay is one of the main reasons for front teeth damage in children. When babies are put to bed with a bottle, the sugar in the drink can cause damage to the teeth. The damage is usually on the sides and fronts of the front teeth depending on the severity.
Front teeth decay in children can be treated with prefabricated crowns. With a smile makeover, your child can enjoy the benefits of a picture-perfect smile as they grow up. For more details, visit the kids’ restorative dentist in Edmonton.
Space Maintainers
When a primary tooth is lost due to trauma or an abscess, space needs to be maintained until the future permanent tooth erupts. Dentists advise space maintainers to preserve the space from infringing on neighboring teeth.
Space maintainers are dental appliances used to hold the space for the future permanent tooth. Space maintainers (SM) are one-sided (band & loop SM) or two-sided (lingual holding arch). They are anchored on natural teeth and can be removed when indicated by the dentist. Space maintainers are highly recommended for children as they are easy to maintain and hard to lose.
Fluoride Treatments
Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, is essential to prevent tooth decay and cavities. Children are prone to a fluoride deficiency, so we recommend fluoride supplements.
Fluoride works in two different modes: Systemic and topical.
Systemic Fluoride
Systemic fluoride is present in natural sources and the community water supply. This mode strengthens newly erupted teeth and those still under the gums. Fluoride tablets and drops are also available as supplements.
Topical Fluoride
Topical fluoride is the primary choice when it comes to cavity prevention. It replaces hydroxyapatite (calcium apatite) with fluor-hydroxyapatite in the tooth structure, resistant to being soluble and demineralized. We apply fluoride during hygiene visits and more frequently if there is a high cavity risk.
Sports Guards
Sports guards, or mouth guards, protect the mouth and teeth while playing high-contact sports. They distribute a sudden impact evenly across the teeth and the periodontium, protecting every tooth. Sports guards are a cost-effective way to prevent expensive injuries.
A single or custom-made mouth guard fits much better than an over-the-counter mouth guard. In this procedure, we take the impression of your teeth, both the top and the bottom arch, make a mold, and send it to the lab. The lab makes a highly polished and durable mouth guard which is functional and comfortable to wear. For more information, visit a dentist in your area.