(Pedodontics)
Pedodontics, or pediatric dentistry, deals specifically with the oral care of children. A Pedodontist, or pediatric dentist, receives training in child psychology, growth and development. They are an ideal choice for children with fears or behavioural problems that make visits to the regular dentist unproductive.

Babies are born with their primary teeth formed underneath the gums, but they don't start appearing until many months later, usually between six to seven months after birth; however, there is considerable variation in the timing.

Tooth-Eruption-Chart

Primary teeth are also called baby teeth, milk teeth, or first teeth. Baby teeth are very important as place holds for permanent teeth. There a couple of simple rules that usually applies to the eruption of baby teeth:

• lower teeth usually erupt before upper teeth
• girls teeth usually erupt before boys teeth of the same age
• teeth usually erupt in pairs

Your child's first baby tooth is another milestone in the growth of a child. Parents love to celebrate the tiny, yet momentous steps that pave a child's healthy development. Keeping your child free of tooth decay is the goal. A little effort may reveal the secrets how dentists keep their own children cavity free. Pedodontics focuses heavily on preventative oral care to reduce the risk of future complications like thumbsucking in the children, thus possibly reducing the risk of overbite. A Pedodontist may also start interceptive orthodontic treatment to prepare a child's mouth for future orthodontic work.

By the child is nearly 18 months old, start keeping him from bottles by this age. Doing so will help prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. By the time children are three years old, they usually have a full set of 20 primary teeth. Faulty brushing habits coupled with the consumption of sticky substances are generally responsible for triggering dental decay or dental caries in milk teeth.

Permanent teeth usually start to erupt about first grade. A special note here is that often the first molar, or six-year molar, erupts before the front tooth. Additionally, the first molar erupts behind the last baby tooth and does not replace a baby tooth as occurs for front teeth. Often lower front teeth come in behind, on the tongue side, and give the appearance for a while as if there are two rows of teeth.

If baby teeth are lost too early, the other teeth can drift out of their position and invade the empty space. This might cause permanent teeth to come in crooked or unable to erupt into the gum, which leads to malocclusion.

Children suck on things because sucking is one of a baby’s natural reflexes and as infants get older it serves many purposes. Since thumbsucking is relaxing, it may help induce sleep. After the permanent teeth come in, sucking may cause problems with the proper growth of the mouth and alignment of the teeth. It can also cause changes in the roof of the mouth. Some aggressive thumbsucking may cause problems with the baby (primary) teeth. It can also cause changes in the roof of the mouth.

Pacifiers can affect the teeth essentially the same ways as sucking fingers and thumbs. However, it is often an easier habit to break.

Tips:
Praise children for not sucking, instead of scolding them when they are.

• Children often suck their thumbs when feeling insecure or needing comfort. Focus on correcting the cause of the anxiety and provide comfort to your child.
• For an older child, involve him or her in choosing the method of stopping.
• Your dentist can offer encouragement to a child and explain what could happen to their teeth if they do not stop sucking.
• If the above tips don’t work, remind the child of their habit by bandaging the thumb or putting a sock on the hand at night. Your dentist or pediatrician may prescribe a bitter medication to coat the thumb or the use of a mouth appliance.

Preventive Dentistry
Preventive dentistry is perhaps the singularly most important role the pediatric dentist can play in your child's life. Beginning dental visits early is the key to success, as it helps and assists us in recognizing and warding off potential problems before they become serious. Child should be thoroughly examined to detect any potential problem areas, diet counseling, and if necessary, fluoride recommendations by the dentist.

Dental care - common conditions - 0 to 5 years
Mouth ulcers affect 20 per cent of the population. The natural healing takes one or two weeks. In the event these are painful and accompanied by fever, consult the dentist/doctor. Meanwhile, citrus in all forms should be avoided; take less salty foods; and apply topical anaesthetic.

Herpes is another problem often contracted by infants. The noticeable symptoms are small clusters of blisters erupting in the mouth or on gums; yellowish ulcers surrounded by a red halo; red, swollen gums that bleed when touched; fever, malaise (feeling unwell) and irritability. It helps to avoid salty foods, have adequate fluid intake, and more of yoghurts and custards.

Other mouth lesions infants are affected include a tooth abscess , measles, eruption cyst, geographic tongue, oral thrush, cellulitis, mucocele

Children are to be discouraged from eating sugary snacks in between meals and also consuming unhealthy soft drinks. Fast foods like burgers and pizzas are also culpable in causing dental decay. Obesity due to junk food has already been declared a big national problem in America. It is also recommended that children should use toothpastes that contain enough amounts of Fluoride.

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay
Another problem that can be spotted early is a condition called "baby bottle tooth decay," which is caused by sugary substances in breast milk and some juices, which combine with saliva to form pools inside the baby's mouth. If left untreated, this can lead to premature decay of your baby's future primary teeth, which can later hamper the proper formation of permanent teeth.

Putting a baby to bed for a nap or at night with a bottle other than water can cause serious and rapid tooth decay. Sweet liquid pools around the child’s teeth giving plaque bacteria an opportunity to produce acids that attack tooth enamel.

One of the best ways to avoid baby bottle tooth decay is to not allow your baby to nurse on a bottle while going to sleep. Avoid dipping pacifiers in sweet substances such as honey, because this only encourages early decay in the baby's mouth. Encouraging your young child to drink from a cup as early as possible will also help stave off the problems associated with baby bottle tooth decay.

Sealants:
Sealants are resins or plastic materials filled in the little ridges on the chewing part of child’s teeth, molar and premolars, to protect and seal the tooth from food and plaque. They are easy to apply and typically last for several years. Some of these sealants do release fluoride as well. Children with newly erupted posterior teeth benefit the most with sealants as these teeth are at the highest risk of developing pit and fissure caries. Adults also do benefit from the application of sealants. At some given point of time sealants worn out particularly chewing on abrasive foods, and the same can be reapplied.

Fluoride:
Fluoride is an element, which has been shown to be beneficial to teeth. However, too little or too much fluoride can be detrimental to the teeth. Little or no fluoride will not strengthen the teeth to help them resist cavities. Excessive and inappropriate intake of fluoride supplements may also contribute to dental fluorosis, which is a chalky white to even brown discoloration of the permanent teeth. Fluoride drops and tablets, as well as fluoride-fortified vitamins should not be given to infants younger than six months of age. After that time, fluoride treatment should only be given to children after all of the sources of ingested fluoride have been accounted for and upon the recommendation of your Pedodontist.

Calcium – children:
Calcium is an important part of the daily diet, especially for children. It is essential for the growth of strong bones and teeth. Dietitians and dentists recommend that children should meet their calcium needs by eating dairy foods and having a well balanced diet. Severe calcium deficiency can result in diseases like rickets in children and osteoporosis later in life.

If your child refuses to drink milk, calcium can be obtained from the following foods:
• Cheese, yoghurt or milk-based custards.
• Sardines and other fish that contain fine bones that can be eaten.
• Nuts (such as almonds) have moderate amount of calcium and protein; however nuts are not suitable for very young children.
• Leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, etc.
• Some breakfast cereals are fortified with calcium – read the label carefully.
• Some soy drinks are fortified with calcium – read the label carefully.

Dental X-Rays
Radiographs (X-Rays) are a vital and necessary part of your child’s dental diagnostic process. Without them, certain dental conditions can and will be missed.

X-Ray’s detect much more than cavities. For example, X-Rays may be needed to survey erupting teeth, diagnose bone diseases, evaluate the results of an injury, or plan orthodontic treatment. X-Rays allow dentists to diagnose and treat health conditions that cannot be detected during a clinical examination. If dental problems are found and treated early, dental care is more comfortable for your child and more affordable for you.

Women’s Teeth - Calcium is essential during pregnancy and lactation:
Women have special needs when it comes to their oral health. That's because the physical changes they undergo through life-things like menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, breast-feeding and menopause-cause many changes in the body, some harmful to teeth and gums.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding the mother must consume enough dietary calcium to cover her own needs and those of the growing baby. If the mother isn't getting enough calcium, the calcium needed by the developing baby is drawn from the mother's bones. Taking care of your oral health is essential, and can go a long way to helping you face the physical changes in your body over the years.