Childrens Dentistry

Children’s vs Adults Teeth

Children’s teeth, also known as baby teeth, milk teeth, or deciduous teeth, are a set of 20 teeth, five teeth in each quadrant. Baby teeth begin to appear at around 6 months, temporarily existing until being replaced by permanent ones.

Permanent teeth are a set of 32 teeth that begin to erupt at six years old and continue until around 18-21 years old when the wisdom teeth erupt. Permanent teeth replace the existing deciduous ones and they are kept for life.

Deciduous teeth are smaller and less calcified than the permanent teeth. This is matched to the nature of food of a child from birth to the age of six versus an adult.

It is essential to keep children’s teeth until their natural shedding time as they work as space maintainers until the eruption of permanent teeth. Early loss of children’s teeth is a main contributor to future teeth malalignments.

Shedding Timeline of Children’s Teeth

You will notice that the central incisors (the two small teeth in the middle of the jaw) in the lower jaw become loose around 6 years old. This is because the permanent teeth on their way to erupt, abrade the roots of deciduous teeth making them loose until they eventually fall out. This is followed by the other teeth shedding at a specific time and order.

If you notice that the permanent teeth are erupting while the baby teeth are still in place or that baby teeth are still retentive around their shedding time with no signs of the permanent teeth eruption, schedule a visit to our children’s dentistry department to investigate any existing problem.

Children’s Dentistry at Dulwich Dental Office

From brushing their first tooth to their first trip to the dentist, we are here to support your children’s every oral healthcare need. We work closely with each child to maintain their teeth health and develop good, long-lasting habits for the future.

It is essential to keep check-up visits for your child as early as 6 months old to learn how to clean the erupting baby teeth and prevent dental diseases.

Our children’s dentistry services go beyond treating decayed teeth. Dulwich Dental Office experts provide a comprehensive service to treat existing problems, prevent future ones from developing, and educate children on how to keep their oral health.

We proudly offer the following services at our children’s dentistry department:

1. Decayed teeth treatment

We offer comfortable treatment for carious teeth for a pleasant dental experience. Decay is removed under the effect of local anaesthetic combined with sedation solutions if needed. We use the most recent air abrasion technique to avoid the noisy drilling technique that may be scary for children.

2. Root canal treatment

This may be weird to hear, but even children’s teeth can be root canal-treated. A similar process to root canal treatment for adult teeth can be performed to keep the primary teeth as close as possible to their shedding time. Root canal treatment for children’s teeth may involve partial or complete removal of the pulp tissue, followed by restoration and tooth coverage using a stainless-steel crown.

3. Preventive services

For those children at risk of tooth decay, we introduce a comprehensive selection of therapies to help reduce the effects of decay. This includes topical fluoride application and fissure sealants.

4. Construction of special devices

We offer specialised devices for children as a proactive step to maintain their oral health and prevent any damage, such as nightguards in case of bruxism, and devices to prevent thumb sucking.

5. Oral health education

We aim to promote an understanding of what causes decay by delivering exceptional oral health education to all our children. We routinely educate your children about dental plaque and explain prevention and the importance of a healthy diet.

6. Orthodontics

Dulwich Dental Office maintains its position as one of London’s leading orthodontic centres. Even children can benefit from our top-rated orthodontic services. We offer early intervention orthodontics to catch developing orthodontic problems as early as possible.

Caring for Your Child’s Teeth

Follow our expert’s bits of advice to maintain the health of your child’s oral health:

1. Use a wet cloth to clean your baby’s gum after feeding.
2. Schedule a check-up for your child once their first tooth erupts.
3. Wash your child’s teeth using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste twice daily.
4. Teach your children the correct brushing technique and to wash all teeth surfaces for at least 2 minutes twice daily.
5. Limit their sugar intake and follow a healthy diet.
6. Avoid bottle feeding at night except if it has water.
7. Avoid using pacifiers once the first tooth erupts, as prolonged pacifier use may cause orthodontic problems.
8. If your child plays sports, consult our dental experts to create a custom-made mouthguard to protect their teeth while playing sports.