The importance of mouthguards
You probably know that mouthguards are mandatory for high-contact
sports like football and hockey. What you may not know
is that the majority of mouth injuries occur in children
between the ages of seven and fourteen, while they are
engaged in casual sports and other common activities like
skateboarding or riding a bike. Any activity that could
result in a fall or a blow to the head puts your child
at risk for mouth injuries. Lost or broken teeth are the
most common kind of mouth injury, but accidents may also
cause concussions, jaw bone fractures and dislocations,
as well as damage to orthodontic appliances and the jaw
joint. Fortunately, mouthguards can help protect your
children from these expensive and painful injuries.
Different kinds of mouthguards:
The three common types of mouthguards are:
• Stock mouthguards
• Boil-and-bite mouthguards
• Custom-made mouthguards
Stock mouthguards are used off the shelf with no modifications
and offer little or no protection. Boil-and-bite mouthguards
fit somewhat better because they are molded to the child’s
teeth, but they are not thick enough to provide the necessary
support for the teeth and jaw.
Custom-made mouthguards are by far your best choice, because:
• They offer maximum protection.
• Their fit is more precise.
• They allow breathing or speaking with minimal interference.
• They’re more durable and comfortable.
How we create a custom-made mouthguard
To fabricate a custom-made mouthguard, we take impressions
of the mouth during the first appointment. We use the
impressions to make models, and a dental laboratory uses
the models to create the mouthguard. During the second
appointment, we make slight adjustments to the mouthguard
to ensure that it’s comfortable. Each year, millions
of children’s teeth are knocked out as a result of
accidents during everyday activities like skateboarding
and biking. A custom-made mouthguard is a great way to
prevent injury and protect your child’s smile!
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| A broken tooth |
An unformed boil-and-bite
guard |
Custom guards are best |
Primary Teeth
Caring for primary teeth
Because primary teeth, also called baby teeth,
are eventually replaced by permanent teeth, many people
don’t realize that they are, in fact, very important
for a child’s long-term dental health.
Alignment of permanent teeth
Normally, some of the primary teeth remain in the
mouth until achild is eleven or twelve. During this time,
they serve as space maintainers and ensure that the permanent
teeth are properly aligned as they grow into the mouth.
Early loss of primary teeth often causes misalignment
of the permanent teeth and may even alter normal facial
development. Expensive orthodontic solutions may be necessary
to correct these problems.
Nutrition and speech development
Children need strong, healthy teeth to chew their food.
Cavities and tooth loss can make it impossible for a child
to eat properly, which affects her overall level of health.
Speech development can also be affected by premature tooth
loss. In combination, these problems may lower a child’s
self-esteem during her important formative years. As you
can see, primary teeth are critically important for a
child’s health and development. It’s important
to keep them in the mouth as long as possible by practicing
excellent oral hygiene and treating problems early.
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| Baby teeth are important |
Misaligned permanent teeth |
Proper homecare is essential |
What Is Air Abrasion?
Until recently, the traditional dental handpiece was the
only tool we had to remove decay from your teeth. But
now we have a newoption that allows us to remove decay
on teeth without eventouching them! This new technology
is called air abrasion. Air abrasion is a process in which
a special handpiece removesdecay by blowing a stream of
clean dry air mixed with tiny abrasiveparticles onto the
surface of the teeth. The particles gently removeany stains
or decay so that we can apply a sealant, or they can beused
to expose hidden cavities, which we can then remove and
restore with a filling material.
Air abrasion and young patients
We typically use air abrasion to remove small amounts
of tooth decay. It’s often a great option because:
• The particles can be precisely directed so we can
remove stains and decay without removing much tooth structure.
• It’s a more comfortable option than the traditional
handpiece, because it produces no vibration and no heat;
because of this, it requires no anesthetic (which means
no injection).
• The process is quiet, so it minimizes fear and
anxiety.
Particularly helpful on back teeth
Air abrasion is also particularly helpful for investigating
decay in children’s back teeth. Before we can diagnose
a cavity, we often need to evaluate the extent of the
decay using air abrasion. The procedure can gently expose
hidden cavities, which we then can remove and fill. However,
we won’t be able to use air abrasion if your child
has asthma, since the fine particles can cause wheezing
and coughing in some patients. But for most patients,
air abrasion is a wonderful new technology that allows
us to provide comfortable treatment for early forms of
tooth decay.
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| Air abrasion handpiece |
Air abrasion |
Getting a
Filling
We want the entire procedure to be comfortable for you,
so the firstthing we do is make sure your mouth is thoroughly
numb. Dependingon the size of the filling and which tooth
we're working on, we may usea rubber dam. It protects
you like a safety net, so nothing can fall to the back
of your throat.
Then we remove the decay and shape the tooth with the
handpiece. To mold the filling to the shape of the tooth,
we first surround it with a thin, flexible band. A small
wooden wedge between the teeth holds it snugly in place.
We press the filling material into the tooth. White fillings
harden when they are exposed to a bright light, while
silver filllings harden on their own. Then we check the
bite with a colored tape that shows us where your teeth
are touching, and we make sure floss still works. And
that's all there is to it!
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| A cavity |
A silver filling |
