Visits to the dentist should ideally begin as soon as the first few teeth have come out. At this stage, your child will likely not be scared of having someone check their mouth and start to develop a healthy relationship with the dentist. Ideally, you would start off with a paediatric dentist. A paediatric dentist has added years of training to deal with children. It is not just the dental part which is of concern but for the dentist to have the necessary experience in being empathetic to children’s concerns. A level of patience needs to be displayed in keeping a child at ease. At our Ballito branch, this is exactly what you will find.
Visiting our Paediatric Dentist in Ballito
A child should start coming in to see our paediatric dentist in Ballito as soon as they get teeth. This way, they will become familiarized with the scenario, aiding all future trips. Dentist visits should be strictly adhered to, two times a year. It is not an unreasonable number but you would want these visits to go by smoothly. The dentist will be able to examine the mouth and pick up on any signs of cavities or gum disease, then set out to rectify it before it becomes a problem. Our rooms are friendly and fun, and our dentist tries to continue this vibe during the consult. The aim is to make the dental visit comfortable. For these reasons, our children’s dentist in Ballito is also great for children with autism. For children on the spectrum, a dental visit can be a nightmare. There is the social interaction to consider, with the dentist being in such close proximity along with the bright lights and loud noises from the dental equipment. Our children’s dentist in Ballito will assist in making the session smoother by talking the child through what is going to be done before doing it and supplying ear plugs/sunglasses to block out the noise and light stimuli.
Treatments done by our Children’s Dentist in Ballito
At every check-up session, our children’s dentist in Ballito will do a deep clean of the teeth. If there is any plaque that has not been removed with home cleaning, then it will be with the deep clean. Cavities and gingivitis are caused when plaque is not removed in time. Keeping with twice yearly check-up visits will allow the dentist to remove plaque build-up before it escalates to this stage. This is considered as preventative measures, which is why it is so important to keep with them.
Fluoride treatments are done to give the teeth a layer of protection from cavities being formed.
Dental sealants are recommended by our paediatric dentist in Ballito if the child is prone to cavities. Cavities mostly occur on the teeth used for chewing. The tiny grooves here make it very easy for food particles to lodge into, not easily cleaned out by regular home brushing, and to then develop into plaque. A dental sealant is coated onto this area, allowing for these particles to be easily cleaned off during brushing. It is a preventative treatment so the dentist will advise to have it done as soon as the adult teeth have erupted.
If you have waited too long between visits to our paediatric dentist in Ballito and the cavity has already formed, then there are 2 options. If only a small part of the tooth is affected, then the cavity can be removed and replaced with a dental filling. If the cavity has become a deep decay on a primary tooth, then the tooth will have to be removed and measures such as sealants put into place once the adult tooth sets in. 
Tooth extractions are also done at our paediatric dentist in Ballito. Our pain management options are outlined below. Use of either option, will result in no pain being felt by the child when the tooth is being extracted.
A specific concern with paediatric dentists is keeping teeth aligned during the growth of adult teeth. The way this is done is via space maintainers. This does play a part in reducing orthodontic intervention in the future. The job of a space maintainer is to keep the spot open when a primary tooth has fallen out. Without the space maintainer in place, surrounding tooth will close in on this gap, leaving the new tooth to grow unaligned. The space maintainer will be kept on until the new tooth comes out.
Sports guards are an essential part of protective gear if contact sports are being played by your child. They are worn over the upper set of teeth and offer protection against broken teeth and lip injuries. Our children’s dentist in Ballito offers the Max mouth guard. They are custom fitted to each patient and therefore much more comfortable, even allowing for clear speech. A good, snug fit also offers better protection.
Pain Management options from our Paediatric dentist in Ballito
For most treatments requiring pain resistance, our children’s dentist in Ballito will make use of a local anaesthetic. This is when numbing medicine is injected into the jaw. With the area numb, the dentist can then go ahead and perform the treatment without any pain to be felt by the child. The numbness wears off after a few hours. Depending on what treatment was done, the dentist will advise a bit of rest or resuming normal activities.
For some kids, the above method works well, where they will remain still and allow for the treatments to be carried out without hassle. Others are a little more nervous or not wanting to remain still. For these kids, our children’s dentist in Ballito offers a conscious sedation. This will block out all pain emanating from the dental procedure and bring the child into a state of total relaxation. This will have to be scheduled in advance as an anaesthesiologist will have to be brought in. The dentist will then get to carry out the procedure without any interference from the child.
If the case is severe or multiple procedures need to be carried out, our paediatric dentist in Ballito will go the route of general anaesthesia which is a much more controlled medical environment.
