Tag Archives: Phoenix Pediatric Dentist

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentist Missed Long Coming Cavity

My son has a bit of trouble at the pediatric dentist’s office. We’ve only been twice, but both times they were unable to get x-rays on him. The exam and cleanings seem to go fine. The x-rays scare him. Both times, they’ve sent us on our way saying everything looked fine. Then, two days after our last appointment, he came to my room crying with a toothache and massive fever. I gave him some pain reliever and called the pediatric dentist. They weren’t open, so I called my dentist who agreed to see him. Thankfully, because he turned out to have a massive tooth infection on his back molar. My dentist was able to give him an x-ray without any problem. The decay was so bad he couldn’t save the tooth, which worries me because it was a molar. He gave him some dental sedation and extracted the molar right there. He said that cavity was a long time coming. How did the pediatric dentist miss it?

Lucy

Dear Lucy,

A child holding a teddy bear at the pediatric dentists office

It’s hard to say why the pediatric dentist missed it. I’m curious as to what your dentist did differently than your pediatric dentist which helped your son feel comfortable with the x-rays. It sounds like your family dentist is good with children. If you’re not satisfied with your current pediatric dentist you may consider you and your son going to the same practice. It’s perfectly fine for general dentists to treat children if they’re good with them.

I’m glad your dentist was able to deal with the infection so quickly. That could have turned out horribly if it spread further. You’re right it’s a shame that the molar couldn’t be saved. Hopefully, your dentist placed a space maintainer there for him. Otherwise, your son’s teeth will shift and cause crowding in his teeth. That will mean expensive orthodontics. You definitely don’t want to deal with that.

Effective Pediatric Dental Care

You’re wise to take your son to the dentist regularly. Too many parents wait until there’s a dental emergency to bring their children to the dentist. That makes their first experience a negative one, which often leads to dental anxiety.

It sounds like he responded well to dental sedation for the extraction. That’s good news too. The goal in pediatric care, along with good oral health, is to feel positive about the dentist.

Hopefully, this infection hasn’t completely thrown him off and he can enjoy going again.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentists Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Can a Pediatric Dentist Whiten My Son’s Tooth?

I don’t know what is going on with my son’s teeth. His top two teeth are turning dark. The rest of them are okay. Can a pediatric dentist whiten them?

Laura

Dear Laura,

A child holding a teddy bear at the pediatric dentists office

If just his front teeth are turning dark and not the others, it’s not a staining issue. Is it possible your son has suffered some trauma to those teeth recently? Could he have been hit in the mouth with something?

When a tooth is turning dark it means the tooth is either dead or dying. He’ll need a root canal treatment. You didn’t mention how old he is so depending on his age a pulpotomy might be more appropriate. It’s like a root canal for children.

You’ll need to see your pediatric dentist and have his tooth evaluated. It’s important to figure out if there’s any other damage. If he still has adult teeth underneath you’ll need to make sure they aren’t damaged as well.

Teeth Whitening and Pediatrics

Professional teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure that has been stained. It doesn’t work on dead teeth. It also won’t work on any dental work that’s been done, such as fillings or crowns.

Most children don’t need any whitening because regular brushing keeps their teeth white. It’s us old folks who’ve accumulated years of stains on their teeth from things like coffee or tea, cigarettes, staining foods, etc.

There are some medicines which can stain teeth. Tetracycline is the worst of these. In those cases, then some cosmetic work may be warranted.

I’m assuming you’re son is under the regular care of a pediatric or family dentist. Please don’t put off getting this looked at. The last thing you want is for this to turn into a dental emergency. Not only are they dangerous and can turn life-threatening, but it’s important children have positive dental experiences. We want pleasant instead of painful memories of their dental care.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Sealants Aren’t Working

I don’t know what’s going on. My dentist insists my son’s sealants are on, but I don’t think they’re working. My son’s teeth look horrible. Will the sealants keep whitening from working? His teeth look so brown to me. He brushes. I’ve even started watching him to check, which really annoys him.

Kathy

Dear Kathy,

Four children one behind another smiling

I wanted to go over dental sealants with you because there seems to be a miscommunication somewhere either between you and your pediatric dentist, or possibly I’m not understanding what you’ve written. Sealants are meant to go on children’s back molars. Those have deep grooves in them which are nearly impossible for them to get clean. Because of that, we’ll place sealants on them which keep things from getting down in there. They don’t cover their front teeth in any way.

The makeup of baby and adult teeth are slightly different. With baby teeth, the enamel over the dentin is not translucent which makes their teeth look brighter and whiter. Adult teeth are very translucent which can show more of the dentin underneath. That has a yellowish color. If your comparing the color of his adult teeth to his baby teeth, the newer teeth will look less attractive in comparison.

When Children’s Teeth Look Dark

Children’s bodies and dental health are as varied as their personalities. It sounds like you’ve been monitoring his brushing and he’s doing that fine. Have you noticed if he intakes and staining beverages or foods? While most children don’t drink coffee, I’m often surprised how many of them drink iced tea. That can make someone’s smile brown looking quickly.

There are also certain spices which stain your teeth as well. If you’ve checked all these obvious culprits, the next thing to do is look into medication he may be (or have) taken. For instance, certain vitamins and antibiotics stain teeth. Tetracycline stains are some of the worst teeth stains to deal with. Not even teeth whitening makes much headway with them.

Another possibility is that your son has thin enamel, which will reveal more of the dentin. There are steps that can be taken to help that. Have a good talk with your pediatric dentist to get to the bottom of his coloring. If he or she doesn’t know what to do, try a cosmetic dentist that enjoys treating children.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentist Yelled at My Daughter

My daughter is very inquisitive. I told him this before her appointment. I also told him that if he’d take just a couple of minutes before the appointment and explain what the tools are and what he’s going to do, she’d be fine and quiet. Without that, she’s likely to interrupt, grab, and ask a million questions. Well, guess what? He didn’t listen to me. He seemed rushed, greeted her and went straight into her check-up. She kept reaching around and stopping him to ask questions. He’d tell her to be still which lasted for a bit, but then the questions and reaching would start again. Eventually, he just shouted at her to shut up so he can finish. I don’t know if it was a bad day or what, but now my daughter thinks of the dentist as the “mean man” and doesn’t want to go back. Is there a way to fix this?

Mad Mom

Dear Mad Mom,

Child sitting in Pediatric Dentist chair

I don’t blame you for being upset. This is a disaster, but I think it can be salvaged. I don’t know if this is regular behavior for your pediatric dentist. It doesn’t sound like you do either. Because you were explaining your daughter’s personality to him it sounds like this may have been a new relationship. The first thing I’d do is check his online reviews. If he’s done this kind of thing before I’m sure someone would have mentioned it. I’d just look for another pediatric dentist in that case. Your daughter doesn’t need a “mean man” for her care.

If everyone seems to have had a positive experience with him, it’s likely something caused him to have an unbelievably bad day. I’m reminded of that scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where the pharmacist was cruel to the boy and it turned out he’d just found out his son had died. We never know what’s going on in a person’s life. If he’s a good man who made a mistake, he likely feels terrible about it. It would be a good opportunity to teach about forgiveness. Of course, he’d need to be willing to apologize to your little girl and tell her he’ll not do that again.

He’ll also need to be willing to follow your original advice and take her through all the cool tools. In fact, as part of the apology, maybe he can even take her on a little tour of the entire office.

A Good Pediatric Dentist Leaves a Postive Outlook in Children

At Peck Family Dentistry, Hillary Peck is fantastic with the children. Even though she’s not a pediatric specialist she loves working with the little ones and always brings them joy. IF it turns out this dentist is a dud, you can look for a general dentist who’s great with kids. Maybe even your dentist so you and your daughter can have a shared experience going to the dentist together.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentist Insists on Fluoride Even When Insurance Won’t Cover It

I’m trying to decide if it’s worth it to get a fluoride treatment every dental visit with our pediatric dentist. They always pressure me too even though our insurance only covers it once a year. Is it really necessary if we use fluoride toothpaste?

Cathy M.

Dear Cathy,

Child sitting in Pediatric Dentist chair

It’s expensive raising children and I know how important it is to save every dime you can. Though, sometimes spending a little bit of money saves you a lot. Your pediatric dentist is correct, getting a fluoride treatment every time is one way you’ll not only save money, you’ll save them unnecessary dental work in the future.

I’m glad you use a fluoride toothpaste. Every bit helps. But toothpaste doesn’t contain much. The fluoride your dentist provides is much stronger and is painted on so your child doesn’t ingest it. Fluoride is known to protect against decay and even reverse early decay. That simple procedure is one of the most useful things you can invest in. I would also be sure you get dental sealants as well on their molars.

The last thing you want is to save $30 on fluoride only to have to spend $200 on a filling. Or, if the cavity grows quickly, needing a pulpotomy (a child’s version of a root canal treatment).

Preventative dental care is one of the best things you can do for your child.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

My Sister Says I’m Ruining My Baby’s Teeth

I’m trying not to panic. Normally, I ignore my sister’s criticism because she tends to be really condescending to me. However, I don’t want to let my pride harm my child. She said that bottle feeding is damaging to my baby’s teeth and I need to get him to the dentist even while he’s an infant. She said breastfeeding children don’t need a dentist until they’re using baby or table food. Is she right?

Anne B.

Dear Anne,

Phoenix Pediatric Dentist and Breastfeeding

Welcome to the lifelong struggle of worrying you’re ruining your child. It will never end. Even when you’re doing everything right, you’ll be sure you’re wrong. And sometimes, you want to do the perfect thing, but can’t. That’s okay too. A friend of mine wanted to breastfeed her baby desperately because she knew it was the better food option. But, she developed cancer. The medicine’s she had to take precluded her from breastfeeding. It broke her heart. She cried every time she had to put a bottle in his mouth. Then a friend reminded her that formula wasn’t poison and as long as she’s doing the best she can, that’s all that matters.

Pediatric Dental Benefits of Breastfeeding

  • Innoculation Against Cavities: Though we’re not sure why, there are more and more studies showing that children who are mostly breastfed have some form of inoculation against cavities. It could be the properties in the breastmilk or possibly the anti-cavity minerals the mother passes to the child from her own immune system.
  • The Mechanics: The way the breast is designed and causes the milk to shoot to the back of the baby’s mouth, kicks in their sucking reflex. Bottle feeding just drops the formula in the baby’s mouth and it often pools around their teeth.

All that being said, that doesn’t mean breastfed babies don’t need to see a dentist. Genetics is a large factor in how healthy your teeth stay. So parents with a high number of cavities are likely to have children prone to cavities. Also, moms who breastfeed their babies to sleep don’t realize that milk will pool because the baby stops sucking but milk still shoots out for a moment after he falls asleep. Pooled milk (or formula) causes cavities.

Preventing Pediatric Dental Problems

Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed it’s important you go to a pediatric dentist. How you feed the baby has no effect on developmental abnormalities in tooth development. Baby’s teeth are developing while they’re still in the womb. If for some reason there is an abnormality, it’s much better to catch it early when something may be able to be done about it.

Also, the worst thing you can do is wait, assuming everything is fine, until there is a dental emergency. Then, your child’s first experience with the dentist will be a painful experience. That’s how they’ll view the dentist from now on.

It’s much better for them to get to know the dentist early, when everything is fine with their teeth. The dentist and staff will just show them the instruments, let them sit in the chair, examine their teeth, do a fun, gentle cleaning, and check that everything is normal and healthy. When that happens, they’ll love the dentist… or at least not fear him or her.

Also, don’t forget to brush, even when they just have a couple of teeth. Teach them good habits from the beginning so it becomes just that— a habit.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Is It Normal For Children to Freak Out About Cavities?

My son has always gone to the dentist just fine.  He’s even looked forward to the appointments. This last visit was a disaster. We found out he has a cavity. The dentist offered to fill it right then. That’s when everything fell apart. My son started screaming, went limp, slid out of the chair, and fled the room. Is this normal? I was mortified.

Sadie M.

Dear Sadie,

Pediatric Dentist

There could be a few things factoring into this.  First, it doesn’t sound like your dentist is skilled in working with children. Most children don’t do well when an unexpected medical treatment is suddenly thrust upon them.

He would have been better served if the dentist talked to him for a minute ahead of time to let him know what a cavity means and how easy it is to treat, in terms he could understand.

Talk to him about what he thought was going to happen. He may have heard a false horror story at school about what happens when you have a cavity at the dentist.

Maybe the dentist pulled out the needle for the anesthetic. That long puppy could scare a navy seal.  Dentists who work with children know ways of keeping that out of sight.

Sometimes children just can’t handle the idea of the needle anesthetic. Most pediatric dentists also offer sedation dentistry. This helps relax children. In fact, many of them completely sleep through the entire procedure.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

 

Pediatric Dentistry

Can You Help Me Understand a Pulpotomy?

My son’s dentist says he needs something called a pulpotomy. I tried to ask him questions about it, but he gets annoyed and feels like I’m questioning him. I know he’s the dentists, but this is my son. I don’t want to just have a procedure done on him without understanding it.

Laura L.

Dear Laura,

I hate to hear that your dentist has you afraid to ask questions. Yes, he’s the dentist, but part of his job is to make sure you understand why he’s recommending certain procedures and gives you all the options. Especially as a pediatric dentist, you’d think he’d understand that. There’s nothing more precious to you than your child. If he can’t understand that, you need another dentist. You’re not stuck having to go to a pediatric dentist if your options are limited. There are general dentists who are great with children. Whoever you go to, I’d love for you to be able to ask as many questions as necessary for you to feel at peace.

Now, onto your question. Think of a pulpotomy as a mini root canal treatment for baby teeth which are infected. It’s usually done on molars which need to last until your son is around twelve years old. Otherwise, if he loses a molar, his teeth will shift causing crowding with his adult teeth. If his molar is infected, it does need a pulpotomy.

The procedure is fairly simple and your son won’t think of it any worse than a normal dental appointment. The pulp is removed from the roots of the tooth. Then it’s daubed with a disinfectant such as formocresol. When that’s completed, the tooth will be sealed. Usually, they’re covered with a stainless steel crown.

If it turns out the tooth has to be removed, make sure the dentist puts a space maintainer in its place so the teeth don’t shift.

I hope this helps you. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need.

This blog is brought to you by Affordable Dentist Dr. Kevin Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

Bummed My Son’s White Filling Keeps Falling Out

I don’t know what to do. I’ve been going to a pediatric dentist for my son. I wanted a white filling for him. The dentist understood that and gave him one. Or, at least he tried. He’s given him three and all of them have fallen out. I don’t know what to do. I don’t think it’s the pediatric dentist. He’s a respected dentist. He knows what he’s doing. Can you help me know what’s going on? I don’t want to give him a mercury filled filling.

Christina – New Jersey

Christina,

I understand your feelings about mercury-free fillings. Many patients are opting for them. Some patients even insist on them. With children it’s tricky. The process is completely different than with ye old silver amalgam fillings. Composite fillings work almost like a glue. The surface is etched and then the composite is bonded to it. As you can imagine, even a tiny bit of moisture missed in during this bonding process will destroy the bond, which is why a lot of dentists prefer to use amalgam when they’re working on back teeth or helping wiggly children. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Without an examination it’s impossible to tell what the actual culprit is. But, moisture is the likely bad guy. With adults, you can usually work around this and take steps to keep the tooth dry during the procedure. Doctors generally use a mixture of cotton rolls, air, and dental dams to isolate the area they’re working on. Kids, especially little ones, have the tendency to fight this kind of stuff. They’ll move around in the chair, push their tongue into the preparation, and they aren’t typically fond of dental dams. So, when you get to the point where a parent really wants the white filling and the child can’t cooperate enough to keep it dry, sedation during the procedure becomes the next solution.

Dental sedation is not like surgical sedation. He will be conscious, but completely relaxed and very sleepy. It will help him stay still and cooperative during the procedure and is perfectly safe.

If you want to, you can get a second opinion from another pediatric dentist to determine if moisture is the actual issue. Then make a decision from there.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

Pediatric Dentistry

What the Real Reason My Toddler Can’t Get a Dental Flipper?

My son lost a tooth prematurely. He’s only three and it’s a front tooth. I’ve been told children’s teeth shift if the spaces are left open. I asked my pediatric dentist to provide him with a dental flipper. Instead, the dentist started shouting. He said it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. No child can sit still for a flipper. I’m not only offended, I’m sure with sedation it could be done. Unless you give me a better reason, I’m going to a different dentist.

Marilyn H. – Michigan

Marilyn,

I’m sorry your dentist was rude. That’s not a great way to build trust with patients, especially when you’re talking about their child’s dental health. While I’m sure you could work with sedation, the pediatric dentist is right, a dental flipper is a bad idea. Here’s why.

1. A child’s mouth is constantly growing. The flipper won’t fit for long. You’d have to keep making a new one.
2. It’s a choking hazard. Flippers are removable appliances. Even if he didn’t pull at it, which is highly unlikely, it could just slip out and he’ll partially swallow it.

I have some great news for you, though. The only teeth where you have to worry about shifting are the back teeth. In those cases, we’d place a space maintainer to prevent the shifting. Also, your child’s age means he won’t be self-conscious about the tooth loss. In fact, he might be proud he’s the first among his friends to lose a baby teeth.

You didn’t mention how he lost his tooth. If it was due to trauma, it might be a good idea to have the adult tooth checked for damage. In the unlikely event the adult tooth is damaged, don’t panic. There are plenty of options for his adult tooth. Dentistry has developed tremendously. Even if he completely lost the adult tooth (and again, unlikely, so don’t panic), we now have dental implants that mimic having a natural tooth exactly, even down to the tooth root.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.