If broken bones or other injuries are suspected, you should first seek care at a hospital emergency room. However, if the nature of the injury is strictly dental in nature, please call any of our offices and our phone message will tell you how to contact a DFK dentist for a quick response.
Clean the area of the affected tooth. Rinse the mouth thoroughly with warm water or use dental floss to dislodge any food that may be impacted. If the pain still exists, contact DFK.
Do not place aspirin or heat on the gum or on the aching tooth.
Contact DFK if your child has swelling, or if a pimple or boil is present by the tooth gums.
If possible, find the tooth. Handle it by the crown, not by the root. You may rinse the tooth with water only. DO NOT clean with soap, scrub or handle the tooth unnecessarily.
If it is not broken, try to reinsert it in the socket. Have the patient hold the tooth in place by biting on a gauze.
If you cannot reinsert the tooth, transport the tooth in a cup containing the patient’s saliva or milk. The patient must see a dentist IMMEDIATELY!
Time is a critical factor in saving the tooth.
Contact DFK during business hours. This is usually not an emergency, and in most cases, no treatment is necessary.
Baby teeth are not re-implanted due to potential damage to the developing permanent tooth.
If it is a permanent tooth, quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment.
Rinse the mouth with water and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling. If possible, locate and save any broken tooth fragments and bring them with you to the dentist.
Apply ice to injured areas to help control swelling. If there is bleeding, apply firm but gentle pressure with a gauze or cloth. If bleeding cannot be controlled by simple pressure, call a doctor, or visit the hospital emergency room.
Take your child to the nearest hospital emergency room immediately.
Not every pediatric dentist is certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD). But ALL of our dentists at Dentistry for Kids are Board Certified or Board Eligible.
Dentists who have obtained their ABPD Certification voluntarily maintain the highest standards of excellence in children’s oral health care. The certification represents a dentist who has successfully completed a Written Qualifying Exam ad an Oral Clinical Exam, achieving the highest level of accredited training and validating his/her knowledge and skills.
In order to maintain the status, certified pediatric dentists must renew their status annually. Selecting a dentist who is ABPD Certified or Eligible ensures the highest standard of pediatric dental care for your child.
The primary teeth serve many purposes including to help children bite and chew the food efficiently and permit normal development of the jaw bones and muscles. They also act as “place-holders” for the permanent teeth.
If they fall out or need to be extracted before they are ready to fall out naturally, it can affect the way permanent teeth erupt later. The other teeth may drift to fill the space. This increases the chances of having orthodontic treatment in the future.
Missing teeth can be associated with poor speech, social stresses and other habits.While the front 4 teeth last until 6-7 years of age, the back teeth (cuspids and molars) aren’t replaced until age 10-13.
Children’s teeth begin forming before birth. As early as 4 months, the first primary (or baby) teeth to erupt through the gums are the lower central incisors, followed closely by the upper central incisors.
Although all 20 primary teeth usually appear by age 3, the pace and sequence of their eruption varies. Permanent teeth begin appearing around age 6, starting with the first molars and lower central incisors. This process continues until approximately age 21.
Radiographs allow dentists to diagnose and treat health conditions that cannot be detected during a clinical examination. Radiographs detect much more than cavities. For example, radiographs may be needed to evaluate erupting teeth, assess the surrounding bone and jaws, and plan orthodontic treatment. If dental problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable for your child and more affordable for you.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends radiographs and examinations every six months for children with a high risk of tooth decay.
On average, most pediatric dentists request radiographs approximately once a year.
Pediatric dentists are careful to minimize the exposure of their patients to radiation. With contemporary safeguards, the amount of radiation received in a dental X-ray examination is extremely small. The risk is negligible. High-speed film and proper shielding assure that your child receives a minimal amount of radiation exposure.
When looking for a toothpaste for your child, make sure to pick one that is recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA) as shown on the box and tube. These toothpastes have undergone testing to insure they are safe to use.
If your child is too young or unable to spit out toothpaste, use only a “small pea or rice size” amount of toothpaste.
This is very common, especially the front lower incisors. If the baby teeth are loose, they may come out own their own within a few weeks.
If the baby teeth are not loose, your dentist may need to extract the baby teeth to allow the adult tooth to grow in its proper location.
Permanent teeth normally have a more yellowish hue compared to baby “milk” teeth due to the thicker yellow middle dentin layer. This is healthy anatomy.
Whitening or bleaching is not recommended on these new permanent teeth due to increased sensitivity that may occur.
What makes Dentistry for Kids Pittsburgh one of the best pediatric dental practices in the country? It starts with a team of experienced dentists who specialize in preventive and therapeutic oral health care for children, are highly trained in comprehensive techniques and child behavior management AND who love working with children.
Dentists who have obtained their ABPD Certification voluntarily maintain the highest standards of excellence in children’s oral health care.
The certification represents a dentist who has successfully completed a Written Qualifying Exam ad an Oral Clinical Exam, achieving the highest level of accredited training and validating his/her knowledge and skills.
Certified pediatric dentists must renew their status annually. Selecting a dentist who is ABPD Certified or Eligible ensures the highest standard of pediatric dental care for your child.
For additional concerns about dental conditions, please contact us as soon as possible. Please read about common dental conditions below.
Most children have 20 baby teeth or primary teeth. These serve to help bite and chew food efficiently and permit normal development of the jaw bones and muscles. They also act as “place-holders” for the permanent teeth.
If they fall out or need to be extracted before they are ready to fall out naturally, it can affect the way permanent teeth erupt later.
Other teeth may drift to fill the space, increasing the chances of needing future orthodontic treatment. Missing teeth can be associated with poor speech, social stresses and other habits. While the front 4 teeth last until 6-7 years of age, the back teeth aren’t replaced until age 10-13.
As early as 4 months, the first primary (or baby) teeth to erupt through the gums are the lower central incisors, followed closely by the upper central incisors.
Although all 20 primary teeth usually appear by age 3, the sequence of their eruption varies. Permanent teeth begin appearing around age 6, starting with the first molars and lower central incisors. This process continues until around age 21.
Also known as bruxism is common in children, especially under 7 years old and most commonly while sleeping.
While children are young, before permanent teeth are present, their bites are flexible and change as they grow. Once the first permanent molars erupt at about 6 years old, the permanent bite begins to establish itself and tooth grinding tends to subside.
The grinding decreases between the ages 6-9 and children tend to stop grinding between ages 9-12. Typically, no treatment is required. Stress-related grinding is common in middle-school and high-school-aged students, especially during testing or final exams.
The doctors will monitor your child’s bite as well as chipping and wear patterns on the teeth. A mouth guard may be recommended if grinding persists in the adult permanent teeth.
Most children stop thumb, finger or pacifier habits by 2-4 years old.
In children that continue the habit, the front teeth may tip outward or not come in properly. The amount of time per day and the intensity of the sucking can affect the extent to which the habit will impact your child’s teeth.
The more intense the sucking is and the more time per day, the more likely your child’s bite and jaw growth will be affected.
We will closely monitor your child’s teeth and bite. The encouragement from our doctors and as a parent is usually enough to help most children stop their sucking habit.
If your child needs a little extra help, early orthodontic treatment may be necessary depending on each individual child.
Childhood caries are caused by exposures of an infant’s teeth to liquids that contain sugar—milk (including breast milk), formula, fruit juice, and other sweetened drinks.
Putting a baby to bed with a bottle containing anything other than water can cause serious and rapid tooth decay. Liquid pools around the teeth giving plaque bacteria an opportunity to produce acids that attack tooth enamel.
If you must give the baby a bottle as comfort at bedtime, fill it with water. If your child won’t drink the water, gradually dilute the bottle’s normal beverage contents with water over a period of 2-3 weeks.
After each feeding, wipe the baby’s gums and teeth with a damp washcloth to remove plaque.
Follow these post operative instructions to help with your child’s care, comfort and recovery. If you have any additional questions, please contact us.
Some “oozing” or mild bleeding is expected. If unusual or sustained bleeding occurs, place cotton gauze or tea bag firmly over the extraction area and bite down or hold in place for fifteen minutes. Repeat if necessary.
Use Children’s Tylenol, Motrin, or Advil, as directed for any discomfort.
A thorough cleaning produces some bleeding and swelling and may cause discomfort or some tenderness.
This is not due to a “rough cleaning” but, to inflamed gums from insufficient oral hygiene.
You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If your child is old enough, tell him/her about the upcoming visit letting your child know that the dentist and staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions.
It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as “needle”, “shot”, “pull”, “drill” or “hurt.” (DFK Staff make a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child.)
We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience.
We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.
Radiographs or X-Rays are important and a necessary part of your child’s dental exam.
They allow dentists to diagnose and treat health conditions that can’t be detected during a clinical examination, detecting much more than cavities.
For example, X-rays may be needed to evaluate erupting teeth, assess the surrounding bone and jaws and help plan orthodontic treatment. If problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable for your child and more affordable for you.
On average, most pediatric dentists request X-rays once a year.
DFK dentists are careful to minimize the exposure of their patients to radiation. With contemporary safeguards, the amount of radiation received in a dental X-ray examination is extremely small. The risk is negligible. High-speed film and proper shielding assure that your child receives a minimal amount of radiation exposure.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association both recommend that it should be between the ages of 12 and 15 months. Your child should be seen by a dentist regularly.
First dental visits are very important. They establish good dental hygiene habits. The doctor will check growth and development as well as help to avoid problems in the future.
Whether you plan to pay out-of-pocket or have insurance benefits, we have options in place to help you finance your child’s dental care. Below you will find the insurances we accept, please call our office with any questions that you may have.
INSURANCES WE ACCEPT
We will happily verify your plan and benefits, as well as complete of the paperwork for you.
Although insurance does help to cover most of the procedures necessary, it rarely covers 100% of treatment. Therefore, we will track insurance payments and let you know if there is a problem or delay. Co-pays are due at the time of your appointment.
All patients are responsible for any amount the insurance doesn’t cover.
Our staff will begin answering phone calls at 9 a.m. on most days. If you have a question or a non-urgent problem, they will be happy to help you at that time.
If you have an urgent emergency such as trauma to the teeth or facial swelling, the doctor can be reached on the emergency number.
Children’s Hospital has a dentist on call if your problem is too urgent for a return phone call.
Occasionally sedation may be required for patients when anxiety is present or extensive dental work is necessary.
DFK offices offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) for dental treatments for the slightly anxious child. Nitrous oxide is a very safe, odorless, gas that helps calm a fearful child who is cooperative but worried about their appointment.
Nitrous oxide does not put your child to sleep. Nitrous oxide is administered with a “Mr. Nose” which is a nasal hood that is scented with flavors like bubblegum and strawberry. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off in a few minutes.
If the child is too young or too anxious to sit in a chair and breathe through a nose-piece, nitrous oxide is not an option. It is not always effective in extremely anxious/fearful children. In those situations, pharmacological intervention may be necessary for work to be completed in a safe environment.
Most dental procedures in children are completed in office using local anesthesia or laughing gas; however, very young, fearful, uncooperative children or those who need lots of dental work may require IV sedation to safely provide dental care. Intravenous (IV) sedation is a deep sleep that insulates your child from the stress and discomfort associated with dental procedures.
It is not the same as general anesthesia used in a hospital. We work with trained pediatric anesthesiologists who administer anti-anxiety drugs intended to help put your child at ease for the treatment.
The pediatric dentist performs the dental treatment while the anesthesiologist monitors your child’s sedation levels. IV sedation is also beneficial because your child will have no recollection of the procedure after the fact, which means that there are no bad memories that may make the child fearful or resistant to future appointments and treatments.
Your pediatric dentist will decide if your child is a good candidate for this service.
The American Association of Orthodontics suggests that a child’s first orthodontic exam occur by age 7, or earlier if a problem is noticed by the child’s parent or doctor.
Our North Hills, Monroeville and Cranberry PA offices have an orthodontist available several days a week to provide services to our patients. The first step in orthodontic treatment is a new patient examination. At this examination, initial judgments about the orthodontic problem are made and all possible solutions are discussed. Verifying the exact nature of the problem is a complex and precise process. Once our team identifies the issue and creates a solution that works for your family, our next step is to take “records” of the teeth, face and jaws.
Plaster models that duplicate the teeth and surrounding structures are used to visualize the problems of tooth positions from all angles.
The position of the teeth has a significant influence on the posture and balance of the lips and face. The photos allow the orthodontist to consider the effects of various treatment options on facial esthetics.
To schedule a complimentary initial visit, just contact any of our Pittsburgh area offices for the location most convenient for you and your family.
Dentistry for Kids places composite (white) fillings on anterior and posterior teeth. When needed, we also place crowns on primary and permanent teeth. Sometimes when a large cavity is present it is also necessary to perform a pulpotomy (nerve treatment) prior to placing the filling.
We provide cosmetic bonding and veneers to anterior teeth to replace missing tooth structure or to improve the esthetics of the teeth. Crowns also can be placed when circumstances dictate the need. Bleaching can be done to improve the smile.
Our team will extract primary and permanent teeth when needed. We also provide support for trauma involving the mouth including avulsed (knocked out), loosened and fractured teeth.
