Benefits of Sealants

You can be a good brusher, but as long as there are deep natural grooves in your teeth, they’ll be at risk for decay. We highly value prevention at Bayberry Dental Care. To protect our patients from caries, we offer sealants that shield their teeth from decay and deprive bacteria of hiding places.

Our molars and premolars are made up of raised points, called cuspids, with indentations in between. Those indentations can easily get filled up with food debris, and children, in particular, have a difficult time cleaning them. Dental sealants are bits of plastic that are used to fill in indentations, smoothing them out and providing an extra layer of material that acid would have to break through to harm a tooth. They are commonly put on molars and premolars as soon as their surfaces are fully erupted.

The sealant placement process is easy. After brushing the teeth, we’ll apply an etching acid to them that will increase their surface area, allowing the plastic to more easily bond with enamel. We’ll then use a special light to harden the plastic. The sealant is thin enough to allow the cuspids to continue grinding food. Patients with sealants sill have to brush and floss regularly, but they get 80% fewer caries in the teeth that have been treated.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Bite Checks

We provide general dental services to whole families at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park and carefully monitor the oral development of our pediatric patients. This National Children’s Dental Health Month, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss one of the less appreciated aspects of the biannual dental check-up: the bite check.

Bite checks consist of visual and tactile examinations. Using our office’s panoramic x-ray machine, we’ll determine whether a child’s teeth are at risk of coming in jumbled or impacted. We’ll also examine their teeth for unusual signs of wear on the enamel. Certain wear patterns could be caused by nighttime teeth grinding or clenching, also known as bruxism, and could be related to jaw pain, obstructive sleep apnea, or temporomandibular joint disorder. We will also feel the child’s temporomandibular joints (the ones connecting the lower jaw to the skull) and ask them to demonstrate closing their teeth together.

If we find evidence of a bite problem, there are a few solutions. A customized night guard can be used to protect teeth from bruxism and keep the child’s airways open at night. Typically, children get their first orthodontic assessment when they’re about eight. Treatment would usually not begin until they’re about eleven, but it could begin earlier if a dental misalignment is already causing problems. A bite check could also reveal whether we’ll need to extract wisdom teeth or a set of premolars to prevent overcrowding.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

You may think it’s a good idea to put a child to sleep with a bottle, but there are consequences that come along with it that you may not be aware of. Baby bottle tooth decay is caused by the frequent and long-term exposure of a child’s teeth and gums to liquids containing sugars. These beverages include milk, formula, and fruit juice and if they aren’t properly brushed away, your child’s teeth may suffer. Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS suggests bringing your child in for an oral exam before the age of one. If you haven’t scheduled an appointment, it’s time to do so!

The first step in preventing baby bottle decay is never allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle that contains liquid other than water. Next, be sure to clean and massage your infant’s gums once a day to help establish healthy teeth. Treatment for baby bottle tooth decay is similar to that of adult tooth decay. Don’t assume that just because your child’s baby teeth will fall out that it’s ok to neglect them.  

If you have questions or concerns regarding pediatric dentistry, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.bayberrydentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kathleen Falsey, DDS in our Tinley Park, IL office, call Bayberry Dental Care at 708-802-8300.

Tooth Sensitivity in Children

As a practice that serves entire families, Bayberry Dental Care regularly uncovers the causes of tooth sensitivity in children. The reasons why children get toothaches differ somewhat from the reasons commonly seen in adults and it’s important when making a diagnosis to try to get them to be as specific as possible about what they are experiencing.

It may be that there is no problem at all. New teeth are often sensitive when they first erupt through the gum line and for a while afterward while they are first exposed to the air. This soreness will dissipate in time. However, since children are the demographic which most often gets cavities (also known as caries), a cavity is the most obvious problem to look for. Children can easily develop cavities by not brushing properly, but improper brushing itself can cause sensitivity if it damages the gums.

Another possible cause of dental pain is a sinus infection. This most commonly affects the upper back teeth. Children with diabetes are also at a high risk of developing gum disease, and gum recession leaves teeth’s roots exposed. Lastly, the misalignments common in children’s teeth often cause them to engage in tooth grinding, which erodes the teeth and causes jaw pain.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit BayberryDentalCare.com and fill out a contact sheet.