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October’s here! A month when we celebrate the beauty of fall, the taste of pumpkin spice, the fun of Halloween in Vorhees, and the healthy smiles which orthodontic treatment makes possible!

Because October is Orthodontic Health Month, and it’s a great time to talk about how orthodontic treatment creates not just beautiful smiles, but healthy ones. 

Straight, evenly spaced teeth are the visible benefit of treatment, but there are many health benefits which might not be quite as noticeable. Orthodontic treatment can:

• Help Your Child Prevent Cavities and Gum Disease 

When teeth are crowded or crooked, it’s hard for a toothbrush and floss to reach all of the plaque which builds up on and between the teeth. The bacteria in plaque create acids which are strong enough to dissolve tooth enamel. And a very small hole in the enamel surface can grow until it becomes a cavity. 

Plaque and bacteria also irritate the gums. When children can’t remove plaque completely, their gums are at risk for gingivitis. This early stage of gum disease causes redness, tenderness, swelling, and bleeding. Left untreated, gingivitis can develop into more serious gum disease. 

And, over time, plaque hardens and becomes tartar, which needs to be removed professionally at Pasternack Pediatric Dental.

When children’s teeth are straight and evenly spaced, brushing and flossing are both easier and more effective, helping them keep their teeth and gums healthy and plaque-free.

• Create a Better Bite

For a healthy bite, the teeth and jaws need to align correctly. The top teeth should slightly overlap the lower teeth, and the ridges of the upper molars should fit smoothly with the grooves of the lower molars. 

Malocclusions, or bad bites, can come in many forms, including overbites, underbites, open bites, cross bites, and overjets. A bad bite is bad for your child’s dental health. Malocclusions can cause tooth grinding, worn enamel, and even cracked teeth. 

And bad bites don’t just affect the teeth. When teeth and jaws don’t align properly, we might suffer from problems such as headaches, jaw pain, indigestion, and sleep apnea. 

Orthodontic treatment creates a healthy, symmetrical, and pain-free bite.

• Improve Your Child’s Self-Confidence

We can’t forget the invisible health benefits of orthodontic treatment! Your orthodontist can help your child achieve straighter teeth, a bite which fits together properly, and, when malocclusions affect jaw symmetry, a more balanced facial profile. 

Your child’s smile is a gift shared with the world. But when children hesitate to smile because they are self-conscious about their teeth or bites, orthodontic treatment can make a world of difference.

Modern orthodontic treatment is more effective and takes less time to complete than ever before. And orthodontics offers patients more benefits than ever before: 

• New types of braces are less noticeable and more comfortable than older styles. Smaller brackets, brackets which blend with tooth enamel, clear aligners, and lingual braces provide a variety of treatment options.
• Early orthodontic treatment can guide jaw growth in younger children. 
• Appliances can help with tooth and jaw alignment in older children.
• If necessary, for more serious malocclusions, an orthodontist can coordinate treatment with an oral surgeon.

Drs. Paul Pasternack, Chara Pasternack, and Christine Biondi and the team at Pasternack Pediatric Dental recommend a child’s first visit with an orthodontist around the age of seven. If you’ve been considering orthodontic treatment for your child, October—or any month!—is a great time to schedule a visit with an orthodontist. Discover what your orthodontist can do to help make your child’s smile a beautiful and a healthy one.

“But they are only baby teeth; won’t they just fall out?” Our team at Pasternack Pediatric Dental has had these questions asked many times from parents over the years. Primary teeth, or “baby teeth,” will indeed come out eventually, to be replaced by permanent teeth as the child grows and develops. These teeth serve a great purpose as the child continues to develop and require specific care.

Because baby teeth are temporary, some parents are unenthusiastic about fixing cavities in them. This may be due to the cost or having to force a child undergo the process—especially having to receive an injection. But if a cavity is diagnosed early enough, an injection can often be avoided. More important, failure to fill cavities in primary teeth when they are small and manageable can have lasting consequences in cost and health concerns. Serious illnesses in children have been diagnosed which began as a cavity.

Primary teeth act as a guide for permanent teeth. When decay reaches the nerve and blood supply of a tooth, this can cause an abscess. Severe pain and swelling may result. At that point, the only treatment options are either to remove the tooth or to perform a procedure similar to a baby root canal. When a primary tooth is lost prematurely—to decay or a painful abscess—the adjacent teeth will often shift and block the eruption of a permanent tooth. Braces or spacers become necessary to avoid crowding or impaction of the permanent tooth.

There is nothing more heartbreaking for Drs. Paul Pasternack, Chara Pasternack, and Christine Biondi than to have to treat a child experiencing pain and fear. To all the parents of my little patients our team strongly recommend filling a small cavity and not waiting until it becomes a larger problem such as those described above.

Prevention is the key to a healthy mouth for our smallest patients. Parents should allow the child to brush his or her teeth using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and then take a turn to ensure the plaque gets removed from all surfaces: cheek side, tongue side, and chewing edges of all the teeth.

The primary teeth are the initial teeth that erupt from a child’s gums in the first few years of childhood. There are a total of 20 primary teeth, most of which will have appeared no later than age three. Because they are only temporary, some parents believe they are less important than the permanent teeth that will emerge around age five or six. However, primary teeth hold a special significance and are important for a child’s long-term oral health.

Function and importance of baby teeth

Baby teeth have several basic functions. Decay can interfere with these functions, and potentially lead to life-long complications. For example, severe tooth decay that causes tooth loss during childhood, perhaps due to sleeping with a bottle at night, can obstruct a child’s speech development. It can also hinder his or her ability to sufficiently chew food.

The primary teeth also serve as place-holders for the permanent teeth. When a primary tooth falls out or must be removed before its time, surrounding teeth may shift into the space the tooth once held. This can cause orthodontic complications once the permanent teeth begin to erupt, which can lead to serious tooth alignment problems and call for extensive orthodontic treatment.

Caring for baby teeth

Drs. Paul Pasternack, Chara Pasternack, and Christine Biondi and our team at Pasternack Pediatric Dental will tell you it is never too early to begin caring for your child’s teeth. Baby teeth require the same care and attention that permanent teeth do. The American Dental Association recommends that children see a dentist as soon as the teeth begin to erupt from the gums. Early childhood dental visits usually include examinations, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and hygiene education for parents. It is also important to adopt an oral care routine at home that includes daily brushing, flossing, and dietary modifications that support a lifetime of good oral health.

To learn more about baby teeh, or to schedule an appointment with Drs. Paul Pasternack, Chara Pasternack, and Christine Biondi for your little one, please give us a call at our convenient Vorhees office!

Children’s oral health differs from the needs of adults in many ways. It’s vital for you to understand what your child needs to keep his or her teeth healthy. Drs. Paul Pasternack, Chara Pasternack, and Christine Biondi and our team are here to answer your questions to set you and your little one up for success.

In-home dental care should start as soon as your baby show signs of developing that first tooth. At around age one or two, bring your son or daughter to our Vorhees office. Drs. Paul Pasternack, Chara Pasternack, and Christine Biondi will examine your child’s tooth development and gum health.

The initial appointment will focus on getting your youngster familiar with our office and comfortable with our staff. We will go over several general matters during that first visit:

• Inspect for signs of decay or other tooth or gum problems
• Check for gum disease or cavities
• Examine your child’s bite and possible misalignment
• Clean the teeth, and apply fluoride if your child is old enough
• Talk with parents about proper oral health
• Give you tips for brushing and flossing your little one’s teeth
• Answer any questions you may have about caring for your son or daughter’s teeth

Once your child is old enough for the first dental visit, you should schedule regular cleanings every six months. Call our Vorhees location if you have any conflicts or questions.