Mississauga has many families with children so Pediatric Dental Care is a major focus of St. Lawrence Dentistry.
St. Lawrence Dentistry believes prevention and education about oral hygiene care for children and young adults are key. We want to make sure your child has an informative and comfortable visit to our office.
St. Lawrence Dentistry believes prevention and education about oral hygiene care for children and young adults are key. We want to make sure your child has an informative and comfortable visit to our office.
Dr. Hawryluk recommends bringing your child to visit our office between 1.5 and 2 years old. At this time, we can assess whether the existing home oral hygiene routine is working, identify any problems, and discuss ways to prevent further dental issues.
Around six years old, your child’s permanent first molars often erupt, and the dentists may discuss the possibility of dental sealants with you on these teeth. These are light resins placed in the fissures of the teeth, which help prevent dental decay. There is no drilling on the teeth, and these are relatively simple to place, so in many cases, sealants are an ideal conservative preventative measure. The second molars erupt around age 12, so at that time, further sealants are a preventative option.
Another component of pediatric dentistry is monitoring and treating how a child’s jaw and teeth are developing. Some children have a more narrow jaw, and the dental palate can have a high ‘vault.’ In these cases, a simple orthodontic appliance around 8-10 years old called an ‘expander’ can treat this, which can eliminate or lessen the need for braces later. Another common issue can be thumb sucking, which can lead to your child’s front teeth not touching (‘open bite’). In these cases, habit-breaking appliances can sometimes help to end the thumb sucking and begin the correction of the open bite.
Some children do have dental decay, and this can be despite the best efforts of the child and parents in the home care routine. Every effort will be made to prevent dental caries. If, however, a primary tooth does decay Dr. Hawryluk can place a dental filling. Keeping primary teeth is beneficial as they act as ‘space holders’ for the permanent teeth, which will eventually erupt in the place of the primary teeth. If a primary tooth is removed due to dental decay before it naturally exfoliates, the surrounding teeth can shift and block the eruption of the new tooth.
Dr. Hawryluk will clearly explain any issues of dental decay your child may have with you and discuss treatment options. He may take photographs to show you (the parent) how your child’s teeth are ‘close-up.’ In some cases, we may discuss the possibility of radiographs with you to aid in diagnosis. Many children are cooperative, and we can get any teeth needing restoring done in a manner that is precise, quick, and with minimal discomfort to your child. Dr. Hawryluk Jr. has ample experience placing pediatric fillings and hence, has many techniques that will aid in making your child as comfortable and cooperative as possible during dental filling placement.
In some cases, dentistry asleep is the best modality to any dentistry needed. Dr. Hawryluk will go over this option and answer any questions you may have. St. Lawrence Dentistry is uniquely positioned to provide dental work asleep your child may need as we hold a General Anesthetic Permit issued by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons. We have been offering dental work asleep to children and adults since 2005. Our facility undergoes rigorous routine inspections. Anesthetic services are provided by Board Certified Medical Anesthesiologists who are also on staff at hospitals in our community.
Dr. Hawryluk believes that any treatment of pediatric dentistry issues begins with proper communication and discussion with parents and values parent’s input in any decision making. If you would like more information about children’s dental treatment at St. Lawrence Dentistry, please call us.
We have several other informative articles on the Dental Treatment for Children in Mississauga; please visit our Pediatric Dental Directory Page for more information:
