At Carolina Children’s Dentistry, we have many different ways of helping your child feel more comfortable and confident. We utilize many different techniques to assist your child with their dental care, and each one is selected as needed to maximize your child’s experience in the most positive way.
As every child is an individual, we feel that each technique should be chosen with care and respect for the individual circumstance of the child, with attention to past dental history and medical history.
Below is a list of some advanced procedures that our skilled doctors can perform:
This is a distal shoe appliance. This is a fixed appliance, which is used to hold a space for a permanent tooth after the extraction of a baby tooth. This is typically used when the child’s six-year molar hasn’t erupted. If the space is not preserved, the other teeth may “drift.” In turn, drifting will cause crowding and orthodontic issues when the permanent tooth tries to erupt. The dentist will monitor when the six-year molar starts to erupt and will, if necessary, replace the appliance with a more long-term spacer.
This is a lower lingual arch appliance. This is a fixed appliance, which is used to hold a space for a permanent tooth/teeth, after the extraction of one or more baby teeth. This appliance is designed to go behind and around the bottom teeth, with bands on six-year molars to prevent movement.
This is a pedo partial, also known as “Fake Baby Teeth.” These are recommended when a baby front tooth gets knocked out or has to be removed due to extensive decay. Many parents desire a pedo partial after extraction of upper front teeth so that their child will not have difficulty with their speech. The dentist will monitor the situation at each six-month recare visit to determine when the partial is ready to be removed.
This is what a sealant looks on the tooth. A sealant is a protective coating which is applied on permanent molars to prevent decay. Because permanent molars have such prominent grooves, they are more prone to decay than other teeth. We will discuss sealants with you when your child’s six year molars start to erupt, and when your child’s twelve-year molars start to erupt.
These photos show a tooth before and after a stainless steel crown has been placed. A stainless steel crown is recommended when tooth decay is too large for a traditional filling. If the decay is extensive and close to the nerve, a pulpotomy will be performed before the stainless steel crown is placed. A pulpotomy is a nerve treatment in which the nerve is removed and replaced with a sedative filling. Without a nerve treatment, a badly decayed tooth will probably abscess and later need to be extracted.
This is a transpalatal appliance. This is a fixed appliance, which is used to hold a space for a permanent tooth/teeth, after the extraction of one or more baby teeth. This appliance traverses the child’s palate, connecting to bands on six-year molars to prevent movement.
After placement of the appliance, your child should avoid sticky foods and candies. These can loosen the appliance, pull the appliance out or may damage it so that it cannot be recemented. Also be sure to keep the appliance EXTREMELY clean, as appliances tend to attract more plaque and food.
Please allow a few weeks for your child to become accustomed to the appliance.
