General dentists who treat children Archives

Dark Spot on My Son’s Tooth

Posted on December 16, 2022 by writeradmin.

I’m looking to find a pediatric dentist for my son’s teeth, but he’s only four years old. I saw a dark spot on one of his back teeth, and I don’t know why it is there because I brush his teeth twice a day. He hasn’t mentioned it so I don’t think his tooth hurts. I’m just worried if it is a cavity it will get bigger. Is four years old too early for x-rays and a filling, if they are necessary?

Penny

Dear Penny,

I can already tell you are a caring mother who is taking care of her child, including the oral health. Catching a dark spot on a back tooth, like a molar, is hard to do so you are truly on top of it. Fantastic job on your part?

When Should a Child First See a Pediatric Dentist?

Most dentists who enjoy working with children will recommend you have them seen by their first birthday. It does not have to be a pediatric dentist. General dentists are qualified. Just be aware if they say that they don’t see children until they are five to eight years old, that is not an office truly ready to see children. I would look elsewhere.

An x-ray is perfectly safe for your son. Not only is the equipment child-sized, but the x-rays these days are digital with hardly any radiation exposure at all.

It is always best to have their first dental appointment before there is an actual issue so that they can associate going to the dentist with fun appointment, so in most cases, the earlier the better for their first appointment.

Why a Cavity if You are Diligent?

I can tell that you are taking care of his teeth. Brushing twice a day is great and you’ll want to floss once a day as well. There are a couple of things that could contribute to a cavity if this is one. First, frequent snacking is one of the biggest causes of cavities. Our saliva has decay-fighting minerals, but if your son snacks a lot, even with just juices, it will not give his saliva the time needed to do the job.

A second possibility is the crevices and fissures found on the back molars. They are great at trapping food and bacteria. It sounds like your son hasn’t been to the dentist yet, so he will not have had sealants placed on those teeth. If that is the case, I would recommend moving forward on that after his first cleaning as long as that back tooth is healthy and doesn’t require treatment. The sealants are simply painted on the teeth so there is nothing frightening about the procedure at all.

I recommend taking a deep breath and scheduling his first appointment to see what you’re dealing with before we worry about anything else.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

How Can I Treat Different Types of Stains on my Teeth?

Posted on August 10, 2020 by ectree.

Hi,

Can you help me understand the different types of stains in teeth? I would like to know the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic stains. Also, if you would explain exogenous vs. endogenous stains, that would be helpful, too.

Thanks,

Kaylynn

Hi Kaylynn,

Based on your university e-mail address and your question, it sounds like you’re studying some aspect of dentistry. Although we usually don’t receive questions from students—and our primary function is to answer patients’ questions—we will help.

The terms you mentioned help categorize teeth stains, and they usually are mentioned in an academic or clinical setting. Although practicing cosmetic dentists refer to intrinsic and extrinsic stains, it’s unlikely that you’ll hear the terms exogenous or endogenous mentioned in a dental office.

Four Types of Teeth Stains

Extrinsic

Location: Stains on the surface of your teeth are extrinsic.
Causes
- Tobacco use
- Naturally occurring bacteria in a child’s mouth as teeth are developing
- Peridex mouthwash
Treatment: Milder extrinsic stains can be removing with brushing. Whitening toothpaste may help. A professional dental cleaning removes stubborn stains, and so can Supersmile toothpaste.

Intrinsic

Location: Stains that are absorbed into your tooth structure are intrinsic. It takes a long time for them to develop. And they are usually a shade of brown or yellow.
Causes
- Many years of drinking coffee or tea
- Smoking
- High consumption of pigmented fruits, such as raspberries
Treatment: Teeth bleaching treatment

Exogenous

Location: Exogenous stains can appear on the surface of your teeth or within the tooth structure.
Causes: External sources or outside agents
Treatment: Brushing, dental hygiene appointments, or teeth bleaching

Endogenous

Location: Deeply embedded within teeth
Causes: Usually, the stains are caused by external sources while a child’s teeth are developing. The culprits are usually are the antibiotic tetracycline or consuming too much fluoride. Some teeth have dark natural pigmentation.
Treatment: Although tetracycline stains might respond to bleaching, dentists usually recommend porcelain veneers. Fluorosis stains are treated with veneers because bleaching will make teeth blotchy. Bleaching treats dark natural pigmentation. Persistent bleaching treatments will lighten the natural pigmentation of your teeth.

This post is sponsored by Hoffman Estates pediatric dentist, Dr. William Becker, of Poplar Crossing Dental.

Family Dentist Versus Pediatric Dentist

Posted on September 18, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have a one-year-old and I’ve read that’s a good time to start them seeing a dentist. I’ve noticed my dental clinic sees children. Is there an important reason for them to see a pediatric dentist versus a general family clinic?

Erin

Dear Erin,

I can already tell you are a wonderful mother. You are looking out for the best options for your precious little one from the very beginning. When it comes to which practitioner is best, there are a couple of factors.

What Age Does Your Family Dentist Like to First See Children?

While a family dentist is qualified to treat children because they have all done a pediatric rotation, you still want to make sure they actually enjoy working with them. Those who love children are better at working with them and their wiggly quirks.

One way to know if they enjoy working with children is what age they’ll first start seeing them. If they say they’ll see toddlers, such as your wee one, then you can know they enjoy children. If they say 7 to 8 years old, then you can know they don’t.

Are There Extenuating Treatment Needs?

If your child has normal dental needs a family dentist is fine. If there are genetic anomalies or something similar that would require regular, specialized care, then it would be important to see a pediatric dentist. Otherwise, you can see your family dentist and if anything unusual pops up which would require a specialist, your family dentist would provide you with a referral.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Do Pediatric Dentists Cost More?

Posted on August 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I am a single mom with hardly any money. I’ve been taking my son to our family dentist thinking that would be more convenient. However, it is not working out that well. I don’t think they’re used to children. They get impatient with him with normal childlike behaviors. I’m wondering if I need to take him to a pediatric dentist but can’t afford it if they cost more than a general dentist. Do you have any insights on that?

Pamela

Dear Pamela,

It is wonderful that you are doing everything you can to create a positive experience for your son at the dentist. Most people who suffer with a lifelong dental anxiety can trace it back to childhood trauma at the dentist. It is obvious you are trying to change this for your sweet boy.

Cost of Pediatric Dentistry

Becoming a Pediatric Specialist requires two additional years of training. Because of that, many pediatric dentists do charge more. Before getting discouraged about that, I have some things which will give you something to hold on to.

First, every dentist sets their own fees. You can likely find a pediatric dentist who will have fees comparable to what you are currently paying. Second, if you have dental insurance, your fees should be very close to the same with either type of practitioner will be about the same for checkups and cleanings. Third, you don’t have to take your son to a specialist in order for him to have a great experience with his dental care.

There are general dentists who are great at working with children. One way to know how comfortable they are with children is to ask when they first like to first start seeing them. If they say around two-years-old (or younger), then you can feel confident they are comfortable with children. However, if they say five-years-old (or older), then you can know they are not truly comfortable with children.

Keeping a Child’s Dental Care Positive

Preventative care is both the safest and most affordable. Many parents, and you don’t seem to be one of those, don’t think young children need a dentist. Instead of taking them in for cleanings and checkups in their early years, they wait until there is an issue.

Unfortunately, that means their first experience with the dentist will be in regard to pain. Many times, it is a dental emergency. That will be their impression of the dentist instead of a fun experience where their teeth get cleaned in a pain-free way and there is a treat.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.

Irrational Fear of Needles Solved

Posted on May 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have had the hardest time getting dental care for myself and my daughter. I have a horribly irrational fear of needles of any kind. The last time I was hospitalized they actually had to knock me out to treat me. It was humiliating. I was behaving like a petulant child and I knew it but my fear was too strong. Unfortunately, my daughter inherited the same trait. I need to find a solution to this because she has a cavity that needs to be filled and when we tried to do it, she slapped the dentist and ran away. I know exactly how she’s feeling but have no way of helping her. What do I do?

A Desperate Mom

Dear Desperate Mom,

There is a solution to dental anxiety

It is hard when our children inherit traits from us which we wish didn’t exist, especially when we see them having a negative impact on our children. Fortunately, I have some good news for both you and your daughter.

What both of you need is to find a dentist used to dealing with this type of anxiety. Doing an internet search under two different terms should help you locate the dentist who has the tools to help you. The first is a “cater to cowards dentist“. The second is a “sedation dentist“. Both of them should offer some form of sedation.

I’d say in the case of you and your daughter, you want someone who has two levels available.

Two Types of Dental Sedation

Level One: Nitrous Oxide

This is the simplest level of sedation. Your dentist will place a nosepiece on your daughter and allow her to breathe in the nitrous oxide gas. The gas will make her feel floaty and relaxed, allowing her to get the local anesthetic she needs. Most children actually fall asleep during their procedure. Once her cavity is filled and ready to go, the dentist will switch the gas to oxygen and she’ll be back to her old self and ready to go.

An additional benefit to this is if she is asleep it becomes much easier for the dentist to give her a mercury-free composite filling. Those are a little harder to place on children because for it to bond properly the composite has to be kept completely dry during placement.

Level Two: Oral Conscious Sedation

This is a much stronger level of sedation. You will take a pill prior to your appointment. This pill is strong. You will be unable to drive yourself to or from your dental appointment. You’ll also need someone to stay with you after your appointment until you are lucid and steady on your feet.

This level also has an additional benefit. You will be so relaxed (and will probably nap) that your dentist can get a lot more work done at each appointment. This makes it faster for patients who’ve avoided the dentist for a while to get caught up on all their needed work in a stress-free and pain-free way.

Dental Anxiety and Children

Not all dentists who treat children use sedation. If you have trouble finding one, my suggestion for you will be to look for a general dentist who treats children. They don’t necessarily have to go to a pediatric specialist. Every general dentist did a pediatric rotation and is qualified to treat children. Just make sure they enjoy children and are good working with them first.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates dentist Dr. William Becker.

Do Children Need a Pediatric Dentist?

Posted on January 21, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’m worried my daughter is not being served well by our pediatric dentist. We’ve been there for two appointments and they’ve never done an x-ray. She’s a tad wiggly and then said, “Either they cooperate and we do them or they don’t and we don’t.” They did do a cleaning and visual exam and told us we’re good to go. I thought that meant there weren’t any problems. But, two days ago, she said her tooth hurt at bedtime. I gave her some ibuprofen and put her to bed planning to call the pediatric dental office in the morning. They were closed, so I called my family dentist. They told me to bring her right in. They were easily able to get her through the x-rays by simply explaining to her what was happening. It turned out she had a massive infection on her molar. There was no way to save it, so they gave her some nitrous and removed the infected tooth. She feels a lot better, but now she is minus a molar for many years. I feel like maybe we are not getting the right treatment by the pediatric dentist. Do we have to see one? I feel my dentist is a much better option for us.

Regan

A family: mom, dad, son, daughter — Family dentists can be great options for children

Dear Regan,

I will admit to being a tad concerned by what I’m hearing. It is the responsibility of the caregiver to help a patient through the necessary treatment.

This is especially true for pediatric dentists because everything is new and can be a somewhat scary to them. As you say with your family dentist, sometimes all it takes is a small chat to put them at ease and let them know what the machines are for.

I’m sure you are proud of your daughter for being such a trooper. I don’t know if you’ve had a tooth infection before but they are extraordinarily painful. You were wise to get her in right away. These are considered dental emergencies and can turn life threatening.

Pediatric Versus Family Dentist

To answer your question above, no your daughter does not have to see a pediatric specialist. General dentists who like to treat children are more than qualified. As your daughter experienced, they can give her a positive experience.

If ever there becomes a complicated issue which requires a specialist, they can easily give you a referral, though you probably won’t want to see the pediatric dentist you’ve been seeing.

One thing you’ll want to double check. She’ll need her molar for many years to come. When one has to be removed it’s important a space maintainer is placed there to hold the place.

Without that, her teeth will shift and crowding will develop creating the need for expensive braces.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.