Retained Baby Teeth

Losing baby teeth is usually an exciting milestone for children, but sometimes, teeth don’t fall out when they should. There are several reasons why baby teeth might stay past their time, but at Kidz Connextion Dental and Braces, we’ll figure out what’s going on and make a treatment plan.

As adult teeth erupt, they dissolve the roots of the baby teeth ahead of them. If all goes well, the baby teeth will fall out shortly before adult teeth move in to take their place. When the baby teeth remain in position, we call them “retained deciduous teeth.” This often happens when the adult teeth come in at an angle or in a different position from the baby teeth, leaving the child with two sets of the same teeth. This most commonly affects the lower incisors. In these cases, we would recommend extracting the baby teeth because it will be impossible to effectively brush them and they could cause bite problems.

Another common reason for baby teeth to remain in place is that there is no adult tooth coming in to push it out. This can happen for genetic reasons and is more common in girls. It would require more extensive treatments to correct, but it probably doesn’t mean the child’s health is in danger. Baby teeth might also have to be extracted if their roots are fused to the jaw bone and show no signs of weakening. But we don’t want to extract baby teeth when there is still a possibility a permanent tooth will push it out naturally, which is why it’s important for us to be able to do regular assessments.

Kidz Connextion Dental & Braces maintains offices around Phoenix. To find out more, visit our website at Kidz Connextion.

 

Diabetes and Gum Disease

If it’s November it’s National Diabetes Awareness Month. This event is particularly important to dentists such as us at Kidz Connextion in Phoenix, because diabetes affects oral health in several ways. Diabetes can occur in children, so they and their parents need to know what additional challenges they may face.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that makes it difficult for people to process sugar. It has implications for the entire body, including inflammation and a weakened immune system. As a result, people with diabetes are particularly vulnerable to gum infections. They have periodontal disease at higher rates than the general population and are likelier to suffer from bleeding gums.

It is unclear whether children with diabetes are at increased risk for tooth decay, but their gums do become more inflamed when new teeth are erupting. Some research indicates that their teeth also erupt faster. People with high blood sugar also tend to have dry mouth more often, which is uncomfortable and deprives the body of saliva, another important defense against gum disease. It is especially important for children with diabetes to practice good oral hygiene and to have their teeth cleaned regularly. Chewing sugar-free gum is one way for them to stimulate more saliva production, and avoiding sugary drinks such as soda and juice will make them less vulnerable to dry mouth.

Kidz Connextion Dental Care maintains offices around Phoenix. To find out more, visit our website at Kidz Connextion.

 

Space Maintainers

Your child may need a space maintainer if he or she loses a baby tooth prematurely before the permanent tooth is ready to erupt. If a primary tooth is lost too early, adult teeth can erupt into the empty space instead of where they should be. When more adult teeth are ready to fill the mouth, there may not be enough room for them because of the lost space. To prevent this from happening, our doctors at Kidz Connextion will recommend a space maintainer to hold open the space left by the missing tooth.

The goal of space maintainers is to prevent movement of adjacent permanent “first molars” (also called six-year molars), and loss of space for (permanent) bicuspids and permanent canines. If the permanent first molars are not held in their proper position, they can drift forward and prevent the bicuspid teeth from being able to move into the mouth on a normal path. Baby teeth are important to the development of the teeth, jaw bones and muscles to help guide permanent teeth into position when the baby teeth are lost. If space is not maintained, then teeth can shift into the open space and orthodontic treatment may be required.

If you are searching for a pediatric dentist, look no further and give us a call. To learn more about our pediatric services here at the office visit www.kidzconnextion.com for more information. To schedule an appointment in Phoenix AZ, call 623-223-1001.

Benefits of Digital X-rays

The diversity in digital equipment available to dentists these days has increased remarkably. Digital equipment in the dentist’s office means quicker and more informative consultations with patients than past years. Digital X-rays, Intra-Oral camera, and Panorex X-rays are only some pieces of high-tech dental appliances that Dr. John Graneto of utilizes here at Kidz Connextion. This type of technology allows us to provide quality care to the patient for a more enhanced, effective and comfortable experience.

Within these imaging programs, there are a number of tools that will allow our doctor to take a very close look at the teeth and surrounding structures with amazing accuracy. The image taken of a tooth, for example, can be enhanced and enlarged many times its actual size on the computer screen, making it easier for our doctor to show you where and what the problem is. In addition, the technique also uses less radiation than the typical X-ray (about 80% less) and there is no wait time for the X-rays to develop – the images are available on a screen a few seconds after being taken.

If you are searching for a pediatric dentist, look no further and give us a call. To learn more about our pediatric services here at the office visit www.kidzconnextion.com for more information. To schedule an appointment in Phoenix AZ, call 623-223-1001.