Childrens Dental Clinic in Villa Park and Westmont

Our pediatric dental specialist, Dr. Rhiannon Holcombe, has active memberships with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and has gone through years of extra training before becoming a pediatric dentist. She loves to spend quality time with every child she serves while providing them with impeccable care. She is passionate about helping anxious young patients, transforming them into children who are excited to visit the dentist. Her belief is that when children enjoy their visit, they will look forward to seeing their dentist, which will instill a lifetime of proper dental habits that will lead to a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles.

Aside from routine checkups, Dr. Holcombe screens patients for dental developmental abnormalities and orthodontic needs, as well as counsel parents of children with potentially harmful oral habits like thumb sucking. She is also trained and experienced in the area of treating children who have special needs or who have been medically compromised.

You should visit the dentist with your child once every six months for checkups and routine dental cleanings to keep their teeth strong. It is also recommended that they use tooth sealants if needed, as they fill the deep grooves in the teeth and prevent decay. Sealants can last many years, but they need to be checked regularly during your child’s visits.

Make sure you examine the child’s teeth every two weeks as they erupt, checking for discoloration or lines that may be signs of decay. Remember that liquids and sugary foods can be bad for a new tooth, so ensure that your child brushes after meals. For the best oral hygiene, brushing two times a day is recommended.

Make sure that your child starts brushing as soon as their first tooth erupts. This first tooth should be brushed with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and soft-bristled toothbrush. Do not use fluoride for children who are younger than two years of age unless your healthcare professional advises you to do so. You should review proper tooth brushing procedures with your child.

Also, regular flossing is another good oral hygiene habit, and Dr. Bhatia or Dr. Holcombe will let you know the right time to begin flossing. Get in touch with our dental office right away if you notice any signs of possible decay.

Even before your baby’s first tooth appears, the gums can benefit from your careful attention. After breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, wrap one finger with a clean, damp washcloth or piece of gauze and gently rub it across your baby’s gum tissue. This practice both clears your little one’s mouth of any fragments of food and begins the process for building good daily oral care habits.

When that first tooth makes an entrance, it’s time to upgrade to a baby toothbrush. There are usually two options: a long-handled toothbrush that you and your baby can hold at the same time, or a finger-puppet like brush that fits over the tip of your pointer finger. In each case, the bristles are soft and few.

At this stage, toothpaste isn’t necessary; just dip the brush in water before brushing. If your little one doesn’t react well to the introduction of a toothbrush, don’t give up. Switch back to a damp washcloth for a few months and try the toothbrush again later. During the teething process, your child will want to chew on just about anything, and a baby toothbrush with a teether can become a favorite toy during this period.

When a few more teeth appear, you can start using toothpaste with your child’s toothbrush. However, for the first two years, be sure to choose toothpaste that does not contain fluoride, unless advised to do so by your dentist, because too much fluoride can be dangerous for youngsters. At this stage, use only a tiny amount of toothpaste. From the beginning, have your little one practice spitting the toothpaste out after brushing to prepare for fluoride toothpaste, which should not be swallowed at any age.

Don’t give your baby any sort of sweetened liquids, such as flavored drinks or soda. Even the sugars present in fruit juice, formula, and milk (this goes for breast milk as well) can cause decay, so regular teeth and gum cleaning is vital. Also, make sure your baby never goes to bed with a bottle; sugary liquids in prolonged contact with teeth are a guarantee for early-childhood decay, also called baby-bottle caries.

It’s recommended that you bring your baby in for a visit within six months of the first tooth’s eruption – usually around his or her first birthday. Since decay can occur in even the smallest of teeth, the earlier your baby visits us, the more likely he or she is to avoid problems. We’ll look for any signs of early problems with your baby’s oral heath, and check in with you about the best way to care for your little one’s teeth. Remember that preparing for each dental visit with a positive attitude goes a long way toward making your child comfortable with regular checkups.

As part of the natural learning process, little ones are expert mimics, and you can take advantage of this talent! Brush and floss daily while your child is watching, and he or she will intuit at an early age the importance of your good habits. As soon as your child shows interest, offer a toothbrush of his or her own and encourage your toddler to “brush” with you. (You’ll find toothbrushes with chunky, short handles are easiest for them to grip.) Most children don’t have the dexterity necessary to thoroughly clean their own teeth until they’re about six or seven, so you’ll have to do that part of the job. Try different tactics to make brushing fun: flavored toothpaste, a toothbrush with a favorite character on it, or singing songs about brushing. The primary goal is to instill healthy oral habits at an early age to set your child up for a lifetime of healthy, cavity-free teeth!

Most children begin sucking their thumbs or fingers from a very young age; many even start inside the womb. Sucking is a natural reflex for an infant and it serves an important purpose. Sucking often provides a sense of security and contentment for a young one. It can also be relaxing, which is why many children suck their thumbs as they fall asleep.

According to the American Dental Association, most children stop thumb sucking on their own between the ages of two and four. They simply grow out of a habit that is no longer useful to them. However, some children continue sucking beyond the preschool years (although studies show that the older a child gets, the lower the chances are of continuing the habit). If your child is still sucking their thumb when his or her permanent teeth start to erupt, it is time to take action to break the habit.

First, take note of how your child sucks his or her thumb. If the sucking is passive, with the thumb gently resting inside the mouth, it is less likely to cause damage. If, on the other hand, the thumb sucking is aggressive, placing pressure on the mouth or teeth, the habit may cause problems with tooth alignment and proper mouth growth. Extended sucking affects both the teeth and the shape of the face and may lead to a need for orthodontic treatment in the future.

If at any time you suspect your child’s thumb sucking may be affecting his or her oral health, please give us a call and schedule a visit. We can help you assess and address the situation!

Helping Your Child Overcome Thumb-Sucking

Should you need to help your child end the habit, follow these guidelines:

• Always be supportive and positive. Instead of punishing your child for thumb sucking, give praise when he or she doesn’t.
• Put a band-aid on your child’s thumb or a sock over the hand at night. Let your little one know that this is not a punishment, but rather a way to help remember to avoid sucking.
• Start a progress chart and let your child put a sticker up every day that he or she doesn’t suck. If your child makes it through a week without sucking, he or she gets to choose a prize. When the whole month is full, reward your child with something great (a toy or new video game); by then, the habit should be over. Making your child an active participant in his or her treatment will increase the willingness to break the habit.
• If you notice your child sucking when he or she is anxious, work on alleviating the anxiety rather than focusing on the thumb sucking.
• Take note of the times your child tends to suck (long car rides, while watching movies) and create diversions during these occasions.
• Explain clearly what might happen to their teeth if he or she keeps thumb sucking.

Whatever your method, always remember that your child needs your support and understanding during the process of breaking the habit of thumb sucking.

Chipped teeth are responsible for most dental injuries. Most fractured or chipped teeth can be fixed by either placing a tooth-colored filling over them or reattaching the broken piece. If a significant part of the tooth crown is broken and has fallen off, the tooth may be repaired using an artificial crown.

Most of the time, injuries that occur in the back teeth include cracked teeth, fractured cusps, or a more severe split tooth. For cracks that extend deep into the root, a full coverage crown and root canal treatment may be required to restore the tooth. Extraction may be needed to treat split teeth.

A tooth may be pushed into its socket or sideways during an injury. Your endodontist can help you stabilize and reposition your tooth. For dislodged permanent teeth, root canal treatment is often required, and should commence a couple of days after the injury.

Children between seven and twelve years of age may not require root canal treatment, as teeth are not fully developed. Your endodontist will keep an eye on the healing process and take necessary action if there is any unfavorable change.

If a tooth gets knocked out of one’s mouth completely, it should be handled with a great sense of urgency. You should handle the tooth carefully and make sure you do not touch the root surface. Quickly rinse it in water if it is dirty. Never brush the tooth, and do not clean it with soap or any other cleaning agent. Try placing the tooth back into its socket quickly if possible. The more time the tooth spends outside its socket, the lower the chance of it being saved.

After placing the tooth back in its place, it will be assessed to see if there are any other facial or dental injuries. On the other hand, if the tooth has not been returned to its socket, it will be cleaned and replaced by your endodontist, who will also insert a stabilizing splint for a couple of weeks. Your endodontist may commence root canal treatment within the next two weeks depending on the stage of root development.