Kid’s Corner
What are cavities?
When you eat, food passes through your mouth. Here it meets germs or bacteria that live in your mouth. You may have heard the dentist or hygienist talk about plaque. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria. These bacteria love sugars and starches found in many foods, like soda, candy, ice cream, milk, and cakes. When you dont clean your teeth after eating, plaque bacteria use the sugar and starch to produce acids that can destroy the hard surface of the tooth, called enamel. Believe it or not, even some fruits, vegetables and juices can cause cavities if you do not brush your teeth regularly. Over time, these acids break down the white covering of your tooth (called enamel), leaving it weaker and less able to fight off germs and more bacteria. After a while, tooth decay occurs. The more often you eat and the longer foods are in your mouth, the more damage occurs.
If you have a cavity, it first has to be removed from your mouth. After the dentist numbs your mouth using a special medicine called anesthetic, he or she uses different things to remove the cavity. One way is to use a tiny drill that blasts the tooth decay away. After the cavity is removed, the dentist fills the space it left with a filling, which can be silvery or the color of your teeth.
This filling seals the space where the cavity once was, and keeps germs and bacteria from doing damage.
What Causes Bad Breath?
Bad breath is usually caused by the breakdown of food in your body. The odors from that process are in your mouth and in your bloodstream and pass through your lungs as you breathe out.
If you do not brush and floss every day, pieces of food remain in your mouth, collecting germs, which can cause bad breath. Bad breath also may be a sign that you have unhealthy gums. Bad breath is also caused by dry mouth, which happens when you do not have enough saliva, or spit, in your mouth. Saliva is necessary to clean your mouth and remove particles that may cause odor. Bad breath may also be the sign of a medical problem, such as an infection in your nose, throat, windpipe, or lungs.
If you brush your teeth and floss every day, you can help to ensure that you at least do not get bad breath from leftover food in your mouth. And remember to see your dentist for regular checkups!
Will It Hurt to Go to the Dentist?
Most of the time, it does not hurt at all to go to the dentist.
Visiting the dentist is not an unpleasant experience for most children. If you keep your teeth healthy by brushing and flossing every day, chances are better that you will only need to see the dentist and hygienist to have them examined and cleaned.
Dentists today have all kinds of tools to help you have a fun and pleasant experience while you are having a checkup, teeth cleaning, or having a cavity filled. If you need a cavity filled, the dentist will give you medicine that numbs your mouth and gums. That way, when he puts instruments in your mouth to treat the tooth, it wont hurt!
What Happens During a Checkup?
When you visit the dentist to have your teeth checked, the dentist will ask you to lie back in a big, comfortable chair with a strong light overhead. He will ask you to open your mouth while he uses a small instrument that feels like a metal toothpick. The dentist will go from one tooth to another, making sure that your teeth and gums are healthy. This procedure does not hurt at all.
Sometimes, the dentist will tell you that he needs to take X-rays of your mouth. This involves putting a small digital sensor in your mouth with a stick on tab, which you bite down on. The dental assistant or dental hygienist usually does this while you are waiting for the dentist to come back. While you are biting down on the stick on tab attached to the digital sensor, the assistant or hygienist goes to another room to push the button for the big camera next to your mouth. The camera takes a picture using very powerful light called X-rays. This light allows the camera to see inside your mouth as if your cheek was not even there.
X-rays allow the dentist to see inside your teeth, where cavities or other problems may occur that you cant normally see.
Getting a Tooth Pulled
When you have a bad tooth that is causing discomfort and pain, or a tooth that has such a bad cavity that it can not be treated, you may need to have the tooth taken out. This is called an extraction.
When you have a tooth pulled, the dentist gives you a special medicine called anesthetic. Once your mouth is numb, the tooth is taken out. This really does not hurt, since your mouth is numb. The most you will feel is probably some gentle tugging and wiggling.
When we get older, sometimes teenagers and young adults have to have their wisdom teeth pulled out. The wisdom teeth are the large teeth in the very back of your mouth, on both the top and bottom rows. Lots of people have problems with their wisdom teeth growing in the right way; often, wisdom teeth get stuck, or impacted, and start pushing other teeth. To keep the other teeth from growing in crooked, or causing other problems, the wisdom teeth may need to be pulled.
Dont worry, we really get along just fine without our wisdom teeth.
Numbing Your Mouth
The dentist uses special medicine called anesthetics to numb your mouth if you have a cavity taken out or a tooth pulled.
The first thing the dentist does is place a small cotton swab dipped in medicine in your mouth, and rubs in the area he needs to treat. This medicine is called a local anesthetic, and it numbs the surface of your mouth, or your gums. Sometimes, the dentist may need to give you an injection of a more powerful medicine to really put your mouth to sleep. But the injection only stings a little bit because of the placement of the local anesthetic he used on the cotton swab!
This more powerful medicine is usually called Novocain or Lidocaine. The medicine is injected into the inside of your mouth using a very small needle. After a few minutes, a part of your mouth gets tingly, and then numb. Some people feel like they have a fat lip when their mouth has been numbed. Dont worry, this goes away after a short while.
What Are X-rays?
Sometimes, the dentist will tell you that he needs to take X-rays of your mouth. This involves putting a small digital sensor in your mouth with a stick on tab, which you bite down on. The dental assistant or dental hygienist usually does this while you are waiting for the dentist to come back. While you are biting down on the stick on tab attached to the digital sensor, the assistant or hygienist goes to another room to push the button for the big camera next to your mouth. The camera takes a picture using very powerful light called X-rays. This light allows the camera to see inside your mouth as if your cheek was not even there.
X-rays allow the dentist to see inside your teeth, where cavities or other problems may occur that you cant normally see.
Why Brush My Teeth?
Brushing is the best way to get rid of the germs and bacteria, and an invisible sticky material called plaque from your teeth and gums. Getting the bad stuff off your teeth and gums in a timely manner prevents bacteria in the food you eat from turning into harmful, cavity-causing acids.
Here are some tips for brushing your teeth, but make sure and first ask your parents or person taking care of you:
Use a pea-sized dab of toothpaste on your brush and remember to spit it out when you are finished brushing.
Use a circular motion to brush only two or three teeth at a time, gradually covering your entire mouth.
Place your toothbrush next to your teeth and tilt slightly up or down, gently brushing in a circular motion. Do not brush your teeth by moving your toothbrush up and down. Brush everything inside your mouth your teeth (front, back, sides and tops), gums, the inside of your teeth and the roof of your moth, and most importantly, your tongue. Your tongue actually hides a lot of germs and bacteria on it that creep into your gums and teeth when you are not looking.
Brush your teeth for about two or three minutes. Try putting your favorite song on the CD player or radio, or ask a big person in your house for a timer.
Remember to replace your brush when the bristles begin to spread because a worn toothbrush will not properly clean your teeth.
Consider using an electric or spin brush to help improve your brushing skills.
What Are Sealants?
Sealants are special materials your dentist puts on your teeth to keep out harmful germs and bacteria. They are a great way to help you avoid getting cavities in the future.
Sealants fill in the little ridges on the chewing part of your teeth to protect and seal the tooth from food and plaque. The application is easy to apply and typically last for several years.
You can have sealants put on your teeth as early as the age of 5.
First, the dentist cleans the surface of your tooth and rinses it to remove all traces of the cleaning material. Then, a special solution or jelly-like material is painted on to your tooth, including the pits and grooves. After 15 seconds, the solution is thoroughly rinsed away with water. After the site is dried, the special sealant material is applied and allowed to harden by using a special powerful light.
Who Needs Braces?
Lots of kids have problems with their teeth not growing in nice and straight. It does not mean something is wrong with you. If you do not do anything about this, your teeth could look very crooked and uneven when you grow up. Also, you could have problems with your “bite,” or the way your teeth hit each other when you close your mouth. This could put pressure on your jaw and give you other kinds of problems later on.
Braces or orthodontic appliances are usually worn between the ages of 8 and 14; this is the period of development in which your head and mouth are still growing and teeth are more flexible, and easier, to straighten. However, braces can be applied at any age.
If you need braces, this is usually what happens: After the orthodontist examines your mouth, a plaster mold is taken of your teeth, photos of your face and teeth and X-rays of your mouth and head are taken. This is done to make sure that you get just the right kind of braces.
While you are wearing your braces, they’ll need to be adjusted by your orthodontist now and then so that your teeth are growing in the right way. After you get your braces taken off (usually in about two years or less)depending on your needed treatment), you probably will need to wear a retainer, which is a lightweight, plastic-like plate the fits in between your rows of teeth. The retainer is usually worn at night and helps keep your teeth in their new positions. Sometimes, your orthodontist may choose to put in a permanent retainer which isa “bar” that is actually sealed to the back of your upper or lower front teeth.
Are Braces Uncomfortable?
Sometimes, your orthodontist will need to re-tighten the interconnecting wires of your braces. This causes mild pressure on the brackets or bands to shift teeth or jaws gradually into a desired position. Your teeth and jaws may feel slightly sore after such a visit, but the discomfort does not last long.
How Do I Clean My Teeth With Braces On?
If you wear braces, you should try not eating things like sweets, chips and soda. Sugary and starchy foods generate acids and plaque that can cause tooth decay and promote gum disease. Cut healthy, hard foods like carrots or apples into smaller pieces. And by all means, avoid sticky, chewy sweets such as caramel, which can cause wire damage and loosen brackets. Avoid hard and crunchy snacks such as popcorn, nuts and hard candy, because these can break braces.
It is very important to brush your teeth regularly while wearing braces. If you don’t, the metal bands could leave permanent stains on the enamel of your teeth. Braces have tiny spaces where food particles and plaque get trapped. Brush carefully after every meal with fluoride toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly and check your teeth in the mirror to make sure they are clean. Floss between braces and under wires with the help of a floss threader. The use of a WaterPik is very helpful during duration of orthodontic treatment. Consider having your teeth cleaned every three or four months to keep your gums and teeth healthy.
