What is Pedodontics (Pediatric Dentistry)?

Pedodontics (Pediatric Dentistry) is a branch of dentistry in which all oral-dental treatments and preventive applications are performed for children aged 0-13 years. Pediatric dentists dealing with this branch are called pedodontists. Pedodontists apply all kinds of preventive applications and treatment methods necessary in the oral and dental health of infants, children and young individuals.

The Latin word pedodontics means "children's teeth" and a pedodontist is a specialist in pediatric dentistry. Pedodontists, also called pediatric dentists, work with individuals from infancy to young adulthood.Pediatric dentist helps children achieve and maintain good oral health.

Who is a Pedodontist (Pediatric Dentist)

Pediatric dentists aim to protect the healthy milk and permanent teeth of children until adolescence, to eliminate the problems caused by caries, trauma, hereditary and similar factors, as well as to raise awareness and educate the mother during pregnancy. The main purpose of pediatric dentists is preventive and preventive medicine. The most important goal is to prepare children for a caries-free future by planning early diagnosis and treatment within the scope of Preventive Dentistry Practices.

What are the Working Areas of Pedodontics?

Informing the family about oral and dental care is the most important area of pediatric dentistry. It is extremely important for the mother to have a healthy mouth and teeth during pregnancy. Babies' mouths are sterile when they are born. Microorganisms are transferred to the baby by the closest relatives such as parents or caregivers. In particular, putting the child's bottle, pacifier or spoon into the mouth causes the transfer of microorganisms to the baby through saliva. For this reason, the higher the oral hygiene of the family, the lower this possibility will be.

Another area of work of pediatric dentists is to eliminate fear of dentists in children and to work on this issue. Diagnosing the child's caries risk status early and organizing the diet and oral hygiene accordingly will prevent painful and difficult procedures that may occur in the future. 

Preventing caries formation with preventive applications (fissure sealant or fluoride application), performing filling and root canal treatment when necessary, preventing harmful habits such as finger sucking, nail biting, pencil biting, etc., performing early orthodontic treatments, making placeholders instead of extracted milk teeth, intervening in emergency situations such as trauma, and providing dental treatment of children requiring special care with anesthesia and sedation applications are other areas of work of pediatric dentists. 

What are Protective Practices?

Pedodontic dentistry involves preventive procedures to prevent the disease before it develops and to protect the remaining healthy tissues after the disease develops. The first priority in preventive dentistry is to inform the parents. Since it is not possible for children to come to the dentist for check-ups every day, it is important to inform parents about preventive applications that can be applied at home.

Preventive dentistry is the most important and valuable service of dentistry, starting during pregnancy and continuing throughout life. Preventive dentistry is applied within a protocol to be determined individually. It is carried out within a program that includes information, guidance, various clinical applications, individual and social activities.

There are a number of practices that dentists can perform to prevent the development of dental and oral diseases.These practices include determining the risk of caries and taking measures to reduce this risk, protecting teeth prone to caries with procedures such as fissure sealants and fluoride applications, and regular follow-up.

The last stage of preventive dentistry is to prevent the progression of diseases (caries, gum diseases, crowding or gaps between teeth) by treating the diseases that have already occurred and to take precautions against different diseases that may develop. 

What do placeholders do?

Fissure sealants are part of preventive dentistry. It is mostly applied to permanent teeth but can also be applied to deciduous teeth. A fluid filling material is applied on the newly erupted teeth that are prone to decay, creating a barrier between the tooth and decay-causing bacteria.

This method is used to protect teeth that have not yet decayed but are likely to decay without abrasion or reduction. These methods applied in pedodontic dentistry are applications for the protection of milk teeth or permanent teeth. 

What is Fluorine Application?

Fluorine affects decay-causing bacteria, making it harder for them to cause cavities and making teeth more resistant to decay. It helps to heal teeth that have started to decay or slow down the progression of decay in teeth with deep decay. 

Fluoride application is divided into two as home applications and applications performed by the dentist. Home applications include the use of fluoridated toothpastes, mouthwashes and dental floss. Applications performed by dentists are carried out by applying fluorinated gels or varnishes to the teeth. If necessary, dentists may prescribe fluoride tablets. 

The most frequently asked question by parents is whether fluorine has side effects. In order for fluorine to have side effects, it must be used above a certain dose. If the dose of use is observed, it does not pose any problem except for the possibility of allergy development.