Author: PeTaLUmA_ADmEEN

Have you found a pediatric dentist for your child? The pediatric dentist near you ensures your child preserves that appealing smile that’s free from dental caries and discoloration. Children’s dentistry is a specialty that encompasses various oral care procedures for your child upon the onset of the emergence of the first tooth from the gum line until the teenage years. It’s crucial to make dental appointments for your child to facilitate the proper growth of permanent teeth.

What’s Children’s Dentistry?

Children’s dentistry involves providing care for your children from birth until the teenage years. Our Children’s dentistry in Petaluma offers specialized treatment for both your infant and adolescent child. A pediatric oral surgeon ensures your child finds ideal treatment for all dental emergencies. If your child requires specialized treatment, the pediatric dentist near you may refer your child to other specialists.

The development of both primary and permanent teeth requires proper oral care to prevent them from oral infections and decay. It would be ideal for taking your kid to the Children’s dentistry in Petaluma, CA, to find specialized help and ensure they overcome dental complications that may potentially occur. Pediatric dentistry incorporates therapeutic, preventive, and emergency care.

Services provided by the Children’s Dentistry near You

Pediatric dentists offer your child holistic oral health care, and some of the treatment procedures performed include:

• Emergency dental care due to injuries and severe dental conditions
• Early assessment and treatment for improper bites and misaligned teeth
• Dental exams for your infant to assess the risk of having dental caries
• Handling periodontal diseases
• Diagnosing oral health conditions that are life-threatening
• Preventive oral care through fluoride treatment, cleaning, and making nutritional recommendations
• Curbing oral habits that might cause dental complications

What to Expect During a Pediatric Dental Appointment

Scheduling a dental appointment for your child is a crucial step in keeping tabs on proper oral hygiene. Your child’s specialist performs specialized procedures based on your child’s age. Pediatric dentists near you use advanced tools that are friendly to the oral tissues. It’s vital to accompany your child to the dental exam office to ensure your child feels comfortable during the appointment. Once you nurture your kid on the right oral health practices, dental health will be easy to manage, and dental visits stress-free. It’s essential to provide relevant information concerning your child’s dental health history to ensure the kid finds a suitable treatment plan and well-preserved oral tissues.

The children’s dentistry near you aims at ensuring that the dental visit is enjoyable for your kid. Your child’s specialist handles all dental issues for your child until the teenage years. A proper dental health regimen prevents the decay of permanent teeth. Your child’s teeth are vulnerable to dental caries and oral infections at a tender age, and it’s ideal to find a pediatric dentist for appropriate oral hygiene measures.

Your child’s specialist can take x-rays of your child’s mouth and perform an oral exam to prevent potential dental health issues that may become severe. At our children’s dentistry in Petaluma, we ensure that all the dental appointments are anxiety-free by providing a calming and friendly environment.

When is the Ideal Time for Your Kid to Visit the Children’s Dentistry?

At our Children’s Dentistry in Petaluma, CA, we recommend you to take your child to the dentistry once the first tooth emerges from the gum line. The pediatric dentist examines the growth and detects abnormal development on time. The initial dental appointments are vital in ensuring the other dental visits are comfortable. Examining the gums and cleaning using a soft cloth keeps the gum tissues bacterial-free. It would be best to prepare your child for dental appointments for routine assessments and ensure underlying issues are identified and treated at the early stages. The dental visits take less time, and our pediatric dentists may advise you to make the visits every six months.

What’s the Role of Primary Teeth?

Primary teeth are vital in preserving the space that’s occupied by permanent teeth. If milk teeth prematurely fall off, the developing permanent teeth may become crooked. They are the first set of teeth to provide your child with the initial dental structure, give the facial symmetry, and support your kid’s speech. For an infant, you need to wipe the gums gently to prevent bacterial infection. Once the first teeth emerge, your specialist may recommend you to use a soft-bristled toothbrush and grain-sized fluoride toothpaste regularly. Please schedule an appointment at our children’s dentistry in Petaluma, CA, and preserve your child’s primary teeth, since they are crucial in developing permanent teeth.

The passion of Petaluma Dental Group is to provide a unique and exceptional experience for everyone who comes through our doors and to leave a positive impact on their lives.

This has been the commitment of the Petaluma Dental Group since I purchased it in 2009; but, truly, our hope is to do more than that. Not only do we want to leave a positive impact on those who come through our doors, we want to do so for our wider community and the world, and I think it’s important to share with you the story of our WHY.

The Story of Why

My early life was fraught with my own dental difficulties and plenty of moving — between having a gummy smile until the age of 10, to moving over 13 times in a 4-year span as a teenager, every single experience I had growing up was shaping me and setting me up for what I’m doing now.  The challenges I experienced built character, grit, and passion and helped put my life on the path to become not only the first dentist in my family, but the first to go to college.

Fast forward to the year 2009 — I was working with my own solo practice in Sonoma, and when the opportunity to purchase Petaluma Dental Group arose, I realized something.

My husband and I have two children (who were 2 and 4 years old at the time), and I thought back to my childhood, and I wondered…If my kids live in the same house their whole life and don’t have any exposure to the world, then how will they develop their own grit?  

It has been a dream of mine to be able to teach my kids about living a life of purpose and to be able to actually show them what it’s like to give back to those in need.

Purchasing Petaluma Dental Group was an opportunity to fulfill that lifelong dream of mine. When you have a group working together, like we do with the absolutely amazing team and leaders working together at Petaluma Dental Group, we’re able to support each other and allow one another to live our purpose.  

As such, Petaluma Dental Group is well-equipped to be able to serve and support the community locally and globally.

For example, in addition to our Give Kids a Smile and Super Kids Day events, at least two of our dentists travel 6 weeks out of the year to fulfill their passions, and I have also been able to pursue my calling of giving back with organizations like Missions of Mercy (a domestic philanthropic dental association), as well as international missions, such as the most recent ones this year, where my entire family and I went to serve in places like Haiti (in January), and Vietnam (in March).  

These most recent trips to Haiti and Vietnam were amazing experiences, and presented a bigger opportunity than just allowing me to use my skills to give back and serve others.

It was the opportunity for my children to experience the wider world — its challenges, pains, and needs — and to not only inspire gratitude within them, but also show them the positive impact of a supportive mindset and a servant’s heart.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some amazing stories from our trip to Haiti and Vietnam (as well as the contributions that our children made), and I would love to hear your stories of passion, too.

I believe we are capable of inspiring servants’ hearts across generations that can lead and support and contribute to a better world, and I believe that when we all give, the world gives back.

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month

There’s nothing we, as parents, want more for our children than a healthy life! We teach our kids to wash their hands, eat nutritious food, and take care of themselves. It’s also important to set the foundation for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. Great dental health now will provide overall health benefits well into adulthood.

The ADA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that a child have their first dental visit between the ages of six months and one year. Though this may sound early, it’s important to establish a comfortable routine with dental visits, watch for developmental issues, and provide parents the tools they’ll need to help their children remain cavity-free.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic infectious disease of childhood. It’s also one that can be prevented! Here are some basic helpful guidelines provided by the ADA.

When teeth erupt, clean your child’s teeth at least twice a day with a xylitol toothpaste. Xylitol is an important prevention tool against tooth decay.

Take your child to the dentist by the baby’s first birthday. The earlier the visit, the better.

If you put your child to bed with a bottle, use nothing but water. When a child is given a bottle containing sugary liquids such as milk, formula or fruit juice, the teeth are under attack by bacterial acid for extended periods.

Breast-feeding has been shown to be beneficial for a baby’s health and development. However, after teeth appear, breast feeding often or for long periods can put your child at risk for severe tooth decay. Clean the baby’s mouth with a wet washcloth after breast-feeding, and encourage a bottle with plain water during the nighttime.

Switch from a bottle to a cup by age one.

With the right care, your child can grow up to have healthy teeth for a lifetime of smiles.

If your child uses sucking to relieve boredom, keep his hands busy or distract him with things he finds fun.

Praise or reward your child when he does not suck his thumb or use the pacifier. Star charts, daily rewards, and gentle reminders, especially during the day, can be very helpful.

Apply a bandage on the thumb or finger, or wear a glove at nightSucking is a natural instinct for infants. Sucking thumbs, fingers or pacifiers canmake children feel secure and happy, and it helps them learn about their world. When does pacifier use and thumb, or finger sucking become a problem? If your child sucks aggressively on a pacifier, his thumb or fingers beyond 2 to 4 years of age, it may affect the shape of his mouth or how his teeth are lining up. It can also cause changes in the roof of the mouth. Breaking the habit often occurs on its own. But if your child’s habit continues beyond age 4, there are several thing you can try:to act as a reminder. No matter what method you try, be sure to explain things to your child. Never use harsh words, teasing or punishment. Upsetting your child is not an effective way of getting rid of the habit.