For this reason, caries should be treated as soon as they are detected. However, it is sometimes very difficult to carry out dental treatment of children with dental fear in the dental chair. There is also a risk of injury due to the sudden movements of small children. In cases where dental treatments are difficult to be performed in the chair, treatments performed under general anesthesia are performed more easily. Treatments with general anesthesia are easier for both children and families.
After the decision is made to carry out the treatment under general anesthesia, the child should be examined by a general anesthesiologist. If there is no condition that prevents the treatment with general anesthesia, the treatment of the child is started in the hospital. After the procedure, the children can be discharged after waiting in the rest room for 1-2 hours. The child who is treated with general anesthesia can easily go to school the next day.
General anesthesia techniques used today have become quite advanced and reliable. If the treatment is carried out by a specialist and experienced physician, parents have nothing to worry about.
Dental treatments can be performed under general anesthesia in children from the age of 1 when the first teeth erupt. The duration of treatment may vary depending on the number of procedures to be performed and the treatment.
Before general anesthesia, parents should start brushing their children's teeth regularly and correctly. Whether the gums are healthy or not is one of the factors that directly affect the duration of dental operation under general anesthesia.
After the treatment, care should be taken to brush the teeth regularly and correctly. Until the brushing habit is formed in children, parents should regularly monitor their children's tooth brushing.
Trauma (Falling-Wounding)
Dental trauma is one of the most important problems in children after dental caries. Although accidents mostly happen to toddlers, school-age children over the age of 7 are more likely to encounter dental trauma.
After the trauma, if there is no problem in general health such as loss of balance, ligament pain, bleeding, loss of consciousness, a pediatric dentist should be consulted as soon as possible in order to prevent possible harm from dental traumas.
There are two important points for protection from damage caused by dental traumas that result in tooth fracture and tooth displacement. First, after trauma has occurred, a dentist should be consulted quickly. The second is the way the tooth or the broken part is carried. In addition, it is necessary to accurately tell the history of the trauma to the dentist.
The results of dental traumas and post-traumatic intervention vary according to the developmental stages of children.
Baby Teeth Period
After trauma, not only the baby teeth in the mouth, but also the permanent tooth germs that develop in the jawbone can be damaged. The effects of the trauma that occurs in the permanent tooth germ also emerge after years when the teeth erupt. For this reason, the first intervention should be done quickly after dental traumas in the primary dentition period. Then, your pediatric dentist should continue his controls with both clinical and dental x-rays, following the time specified.
The risk of trauma is higher in children aged 1-3 years who have just learned to walk and whose muscle control ability is not yet completed. In this age group, tooth fractures are less common as the jaw bones are loose. More often, it is in the form of complete dislocation of the teeth or embedding of the teeth into the jawbone. Primary teeth that have been displaced due to trauma cannot be replaced. The gap that occurs as a result of tooth loss can be closed by preparing a toothed appliance. It is difficult for very young children to use this appliance, but children from the age of 4 can adapt to the use of this toothed appliance. Dental X-rays should be taken first in children who have fractured deciduous teeth due to trauma because the fracture may have occurred in the root of the tooth.
If the root of the tooth is not broken, different treatments are applied according to the size of the fracture. In very young children, in small fractures where the nerve of the tooth does not open, the sharp edges caused by the fracture are straightened. In this way, it is tried to prevent injury to the tongue and lips. In more complicated fractures, if it is applied within 1-2 hours, it is thought that the infection does not develop in the nerve tissue, and the vitality of the tooth can be preserved with simple applications. However, in large fractures very close to the gingival level, root canal treatment can be performed by looking at the age of the child. If the child is very young, the tooth is extracted because root canal treatment cannot be performed.
After any trauma to the baby teeth, If the child has habits such as sucking a pacifier, using a bottle or thumb sucking these should be discontinued. Because these habits also have a micro-trauma effect on the teeth.
School Age Period:
The primary factor affecting the success of the treatment in traumas occurring in the school age period is the time elapsed between the trauma and the application to the dentist. If the tooth is broken and a broken piece is found, the broken piece should be put into the milk and a dentist should be consulted within 1 hour. If the nerve tissue of the tooth is not opened, the tooth is restored by gluing the broken part immediately or by using filling materials if the broken part is not found. If the nerve tissue of the tooth is exposed, it is necessary to treat the broken part first. If it is applied in a short time after the trauma, it is thought that the nerve tissue is not infected, and the restoration of the tooth can be completed with filling materials without the need for root canal treatment.
If there is a fracture in the root of the tooth as a result of trauma, a treatment plan is made according to the location of the fracture. In some cases, it is necessary to apply root canal treatment immediately, while in some cases, it will be sufficient to wait and follow the teeth radiographically and clinically.
Another situation encountered is the complete dislocation of the tooth. In such a case, if the dentist is consulted within 1 hour, the tooth can be repositioned and the tooth can be kept healthy and successfully in the mouth. The root of the fallen tooth should be held by the crown, without touching the root, and washed under running water and placed in milk.