Dr. Bill Berlocher is a pediatric dentist who has answered some of the common questions asked by Bizymoms visitors on Pediatric Dentistry.
Q. When should parents take their children to have their first checkup?
A. Our office motto is "Get it done by Age One." Children who receive early dental visits have a greatly reduced chance of getting a cavity or any other kind of dental disease.
Q. What should be used to clean a baby’s teeth?
A. A variety of implements will work. An infant size toothbrush is fine. There are also toothbrushes that fit over a parent’s index finger. Even a washcloth wrapped around a parent’s index finger will get the job done. The key is really not the toothbrush. It’s that the parents clean the baby’s teeth at least twice a day.
Q. What is the difference between a pediatric dentist and a family dentist?
A. A pediatric dentist is a dentist who has had at least two years of specialty training beyond dental school focused entirely on children.
Q. What should a parent do if their child has a toothache?
A. There are really no options in this situation. The child should be taken to a pediatric dentist immediately! The parents may want to give their child an analgesic like Tylenol or Advil, but this should be given to the child on the way to the pediatric dentist’s office.
Q. Are thumb sucking and pacifier habits harmful for a child’s teeth?
A. Prolonged pacifier or thumb sucking can cause the teeth (espcially the front teeth) to be moved out of their normal position. This is problematic because many of these children are not old enough to understand that pacifier or thumb sucking is causing problems. All they know is that sucking on something feels awfully good! By the time a child is four, however, he or she is usually old enough to understand that sucking of an pacifier or thumb is not accceptable.
Q. How can a mom prevent decay caused by nursing?
A. Whether a child gets nutrition from the bottle or the breast, the erupted teeth should be cleaned twice a day.
Q. How often does a child need to see the pediatric dentist?
A. A child should be seen by the pediatric dentist every six months.
Q. How to contact Dr. Berlocher if we have further questions?
A.
Phone: (706) 660-1310
Email: marianthi@aapd.org
Website: http://www.aapd.org/
