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When does the first permanent tooth begin to form?
Forming of deciduous teeth begins around the sixth month of life, and it ends at the age of two. At that moment a child has 10 teeth in each jaw (altogether 20). The first permanent tooth appears around the age of six (“famous” sixth teeth that don’t have preceding deciduous tooth). Parents should be cautious in order to keep their children’s teeth from damage.
What causes caries?
The most often cause is a dental plaque. They are layers on teeth that contain carbohydrates, bacteria, etc. If we don’t wash our teeth properly, it will cause gathering of plaque and with the presence of bacteria (streptococci) acetic products are created which damage enamel of teeth and that is the beginning of caries.
Caries (dental damage) rises through the thickness of plaque and reaches to the dentin(e) (the layer under the enamel). It expands very quickly there not only in depth but in width as well. It occurs pain on sweet and salty that means that caries has progressed to the deep layers of dentin and approached to the pulp (“dental nerve”). If we don’t react, caries will progress more, infection grabs the pulp and then strong spontaneous aches appear (of itself, caused by nothing). At the beginning pain lasts for a half an hour and painless phases are long. Unless we intervene, the pain phases are longer and the painless ones are shorter and that is disease that dentists call pulpitis. That is dying of the nerve and it is followed with an extremely strong pain. The infection has already grabbed the “nerve” and it comes to the gangrenous crumbling and then we need to react endodontically (root canal treatment). Gases are made on the occasion of crumbling, inflammation goes over the top of the root, a tooth is sensitive to bite, knocking, touch of the tongue, warm. All that means that infection is moved in the bone and that it expands more. If we still don’t intervene, the infection reaches to the surface of the bone (pains of extremely strong intensity). The infection (pus) penetrates the bone and lump of the soft tissue appears but at the same time pains are reduced. After that (if it isn’t intervened) the pus penetrates the skin (mucous membrane) and fistula is formed. Fistula curing is complicated process, especially if it appears on the face. Curing of this problem is often followed with visible scars.
 Due to all previously said PREVENTION AND HYGIENIC CULTURE is very important. That means that one should visit a dentist at least once a year in order to diagnose the caries in the initial phases and avoid all complications that are mentioned above. If we had been treated in this way, we wouldn’t have lost any tooth because of the caries. After some time, different materials are used for compensation of the lost dental tissue: from lead (plumbum- therefore the name ((“plomba” in Serbian)filling) over gold and to the aesthetic materials without metal (composite).
Do we need to repair deciduous teeth?
Deciduous teeth should be repaired, because their health is important for the regular growth of the jaws. Deciduous teeth should be treated in the same way as the permanent ones.
When should we bring a child to the dentist?
One should start visiting dentist round the age of 2 or 2 years and a half. That is necessary in order to control the health of oral cavity of a child and at the same time to accustom a child to the dentist and environment of the dentist office. When visiting a dentist, parents should take their children with them in order to influence on the child’s behaviour in the dentist office. One should not frighten the child with “shot”, injections, pulling the tooth out, if it behaves badly and so on.
What are the orthodontic anomalies?
If teeth and jaws are not naturally in the correct (optimal) position, we deal with the orthodontic anomalies. They are mostly developed that is imperceptible for their parents and close surroundings and the dentist can only notice them.
 Every child’s arrival in dentist office should be used, among other things, for an orthopedic examination because certain orthopedic anomalies could be discovered promptly and with little treatments they could be prevented. In that way the appearance of hereditary anomalies, diet, time and direction of erupting deciduous teeth, breathing and appearance of bad habits (thumb sucking habit) are controlled.
When can we remove the wisdom teeth?
When it is established that lower wisdom teeth won’t erupt correctly (radiograph is done), there are advantages to remove them earlier while roots don’t finish their development (that is around the age of 16). By that time roots are formed to the half, the erecting of the wisdom teeth is over, the anxiety is minor in the area of incisors and a child at that age is good for cooperation during the surgery. But, if it is established at the age of 8 wisdom teeth will not have enough place, it can be planned germectomio (zermektomija), pulling out of the dental germ, because the calcification of the dental crown hasn’t started yet.
Is the routine extraction of the impacted teeth necessary?
Some of them think that it is better to postpone the surgery while it doesn’t disturb us, but it is better to do the extraction of the impacted teeth in the younger age, in the period when the patient is in the good health, while the bone is relatively soft, elastic, sufficiently blood supplied. In that case the post-operative recovery is positive, and possible complications are very rare. The extraction of the tooth is delayed if its growing is expected, if it is necessary from prosthetic reasons or if there is a deep impaction which doesn’t make any irritation and the extraction would be very difficult.
What is the dental tartar and do we need to remove it?
The dental tartar originates from mineralization (hardening) of soft layers on teeth and it is integrated in it magnesium’s and other salt from saliva. The dental tartar is yellowish but it changes its colour due to pigments from food and drinks. Among the smokers it becomes black. The tartar is usually collected at the tongue side of the lower front teeth and at the cheek side near upper molars. Tartar should be removed regularly. The dentist does that with the manual instruments or with the ultrasound appliance. After that gums blood and dentist washes them out (showering of the gums).
Do the chewing gums prevent bad teeth?
If we brush our teeth regularly, bad teeth will be prevented. Chewing gums can help in preventing the damage, but we can use only sugar free ones, that contain xylitol (contrived sweetener). Bacteria that exist in enormous quantities in our mouth use the contrived sweetener as sugar and the problem for bacteria appears when they start digesting the contrived sweetener. Products of the breakdown of sweeteners are completely indigestible for bacteria. If chewing gums with sugar are used, then it is very harmful for teeth. The second good side of chewing gums is that during the chewing great amount of saliva appears in the mouth and self-cleaning is done. If chewing gums contain fluorine, then the effect will be better. The chewing gums should be used after meal and not too long (5-10 minutes) because only in that way we won’t overload the link of the jaw and jaw’s muscles. So, the chewing gums are additional means for dental protection from damage, but they by no means can substitute brushing with the toothbrush.
Is the tooth " dead " after the treatment (the nerve extraction)?
It’s a common phrase (but it isn’t true). While the tooth has the “nerve” (vascular nerve bundle) it feeds through it. Besides nerve, a little artery gets into the tooth and a little vein gets out of the tooth. The basic food goes via that little artery. When the pulp is diseased, in order to save the tooth, the diseased pulp (“nerve”) that has fed the tooth must be removed. But, with the “nerve” extraction the tooth isn’t dead since it receives food via blood vessel that comes from the jawbone. It is true that such tooth feeds less, but it is by no means dead. If it were true the organism would dump it as a strange body. Such treated tooth is more brittle from the rest and often it is necessary to toughen with the peg. Because of that it is darker from the rest teeth.
What kind of toothpaste is good?
All tooth pastes and mouth wash that contain fluorine are good. There are pastes especially for smokers that are better for removing the layers. There are toothpastes for removing the tartar as well. They could decrease the appearance of tartar because they contain some compounds that affect the tartar appears less than usual. These toothpastes (as well as mouth wash) are useful addition to the toothbrush and dental floss. Just using the mouth wash won’t remove the plaque at all if we don’t use the toothbrush.
How long does the white filling last?
White fillings are so called composite fillings. White filling can last for certain more than 5-6 years and how long it will last depends on how much dental tissue is compensated, in which part of the tooth is, whether it is placed correctly, if the lamp by which the polymerization is done is strong enough, whether the filling is set in layers, if the modern adhesive systems are used (“glue”), what oral hygiene of the patient is, etc. As you can see, there are lots of factors that affect the quality of white filling, but for sure it must last longer than 5 years.
Do we need to change the old amalgam fillings?
Regardless of the fact that nowadays in certain circles there is a great complaint of amalgam fillings, I advise my patients to change the old amalgam fillings only when it is necessary (for example, if the filling is bad, fractures are visible, connection with the tooth is loose, the tartar appears near the filling). Of course, if the patient wants to change existing amalgam fillings from aesthetic reasons we will be in any case co-operative and set the composite (white) fillings.
When should we start giving fluorine to children?
Fluorine is added only if there weren’t enough in drinking water. It shouldn’t be prescribed in places where the concentration of fluorine is higher than 0.7 mg/l In our country such places are Sombor, Bezdan, Telecka, Conoplja, etc.
 In the following places there is an increased concentration of fluorine (over 1 mg/l): Vranjic, Vranjska Banja, Prahovo, Partizani, Jugbogdanovac, Stara Bozurna, Rajcinovica Banja, Merosina, the area around Blac, Lisice. There we have endemic fluorosis of the teeth (teeth that are coloured in brown). When it comes to babies long ago it was important to give the fluorine to the children from birth. Nowadays, fluorine is given to the children from the 6th month life, when the first teeth erupt (one pill of 0.25mg of fluorine every night before sleeping). In any case, before you start giving fluorine to a child, it is a compulsory to consult with a dentist.
What are "molars&?
That is the first permanent molar. It erupts behind the last deciduous tooth and it doesn’t have the deciduous predecessor. Many parents do not recognize them as permanent teeth (they think it is one more deciduous tooth). That is the biggest tooth in tooth chain and it makes the key of occlusion (bite). It is very important for regular connection between upper and lower jaw. Molar appears in the mouth at the time when deciduous teeth fall out and permanent ones haven’t erupted yet. It is very important for the regular setting of the rest permanent teeth. Molars appear in the 6th year of life at the moment when there are a lot of deciduous teeth (mainly bad teeth), hygiene is usually bad in that period, but the trouble is that these molars have pronounced small knobs and pits (fissure) and cleaning is very difficult and soon it comes to the bad teeth. That is the most endangered permanent tooth because it erupts early in the environment of bad deciduous teeth and the enamel isn’t mineralized enough. So, that is usually the tooth that is the first to be extracted (it refers to the permanent teeth) because of the damage. |
