Regular Dental check-up

Parents always think that their babies' primary teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth so they need not have regular Dental check-ups. In fact, parents should take their babies to the dentist for the first Dental check-up within 6 months after the first tooth appears. Subsequently, they should go for regular check-ups every 6 to 12 months. The reasons are:

• Dentists can monitor your child's oral health by his yearly Dental records.
• Dentist can give parents oral care advices according to your child's condition in order to enable your child develop good oral care habits at an early age.
• A child might have already established a bad dietary and oral care habit, or even have been suffering from Dental diseases if he does not have regular Dental check-ups until all primary teeth have erupted.
• Early Dental check-up makes it easier for the dentist to examine your child's teeth in the future as a good rapport has already been established between your child and the dentist.

If the first tooth does not come through within 16 to 18 months after birth, parents should take their child to a dentist for an oral examination.

Preparing for your child's first oral check-up:

• Tell your child that the dentist will take care of his/her teeth.

Describe to your child the surroundings of a Dental clinic and jobs of a dentist. Play oral check-up role-play games with him/her

Reference information: , www.toothclub.gov.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Tooth transition

When children enter the tooth transition period, their deciduous teeth will loosen due to the resorption of the roots and will sequentially fall off. The permanent teeth will gradually erupt into the space left by the deciduous teeth. Tooth transition period starts approximately at the age of 6, and ends at around the age of 12 or 13.

 The alignment and eruption time of permanent teeth  

There are altogether 32 permanent teeth. Since dentine is usually slightly yellowish, and the enamel in permanent teeth is more transparent than that of deciduous teeth, the colour of permanent teeth is more yellowish than deciduous teeth. As the thickness of dentine grows as a person ages, the teeth will also become more yellowish.

Eruption Time of Permanent Teeth

Permanent Teeth	Eruption Time
Central Incisor	6 to 8 years
Lateral Incisor	61/2 to 9 years
Canine	81/2 to 121/2 years
First Premolar	8 to 12 years
Second Premolar	81/2 to 13 years
First Molar	5 to 7 years
Second Molar	10 to 14 years
Third Molar (Wisdom tooth)	17 to 25 years

Reference information: , www.toothclub.gov.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Prevention and treatment

1. Avoid eating strong flavoured food to prevent bad breath. If you have just had strong flavoured food, you can try：

Brush your teeth with toothpaste Use chewing gum Rinse with mouthwash Use breath freshener

2. Visit a dentist for regular Dental check-up
To ensure whether the bad breath is caused by oral diseases such as periodontal disease or Dental caries, or whether it is caused by insufficient saliva production; so that appropriate treatment can be given.

3. Pay attention to your regular oral hygiene practices to prevent oral problems

Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste every morning and before bed at night and floss your teeth daily. Reduce the frequency of taking food or drinks Keep the denture clean by thoroughly cleaning them every night and soaking it in a glass of water overnight.

4. Quit smoking
If you don't have any oral problem, nor have you eaten anything with a strong flavour, your bad breath may be caused by other medical problems. In that case, you should see a physician to find out the cause and receive appropriate treatment.

Reference information: , www.toothclub.gov.hk

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

What is the treatment for dental cavities?

Tooth decay refers to the destruction of tooth structure and the most common symptoms are cavity in the tooth, and toothache. There are several things that can be done to slow down or prevent the breakdown process, like brushing at least twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste, using interdental cleansing aids including dental floss or interdental toothbrush, rinsing thoroughly with an anti-cavity dental rinse. Additionally, eating a healthy diet and limiting carbohydrate intake can help.  

Tooth decay can affect both the enamel and the dentin of the tooth, if decay is left untreated, it will reach the tooth’s pulp which contains nerves and blood vessels.

What is the treatment for dental cavities?

1. Fill / restore the tooth

- The dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth in the cavity and fill the cavity.

2. Artificial inlays, onlays and crowns

- The dentist will remove the decayed, fill the cavity, and prepare the tooth, cover the tooth with an artificial inlay, onlay or crown which strengthens the tooth.

3. Root canal treatment.

- The dentist or a dental specialist, endodontist, will remove the nerve and infected pulp, allowing the inside of the tooth to be cleaned and sealed. In most cases, the tooth’s natural crown will need to be replaced with an artificial crown to strengthen the tooth.

Reference information: www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay refers to the destruction of tooth structure and the most common symptoms are cavity in the tooth, and toothache. There are several things that can be done to slow down or prevent the breakdown process, like brushing at least twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste, using interDental cleansing aids including Dental floss or interDental toothbrush, rinsing thoroughly with an anti-cavity Dental rinse. Additionally, eating a healthy diet and limiting carbohydrate intake can help.  

Tooth decay can affect both the enamel and the dentin of the tooth, if decay is left untreated, it will reach the tooth’s pulp which contains nerves and blood vessels.

What is the treatment for Dental cavities?

1. Fill / restore the tooth

The dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth in the cavity and fill the cavity.

2. Artificial inlays, onlays and crowns

The dentist will remove the decayed, fill the cavity, and prepare the tooth, cover the tooth with an artificial inlay, onlay or crown which strengthens the tooth.

3. Root canal treatment.

The dentist or a Dental specialist, endodontist, will remove the nerve and infected pulp, allowing the inside of the tooth to be cleaned and sealed. In most cases, the tooth’s natural crown will need to be replaced with an artificial crown to strengthen the tooth.

Reference information: , www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Common problems for cleaning baby's mouth

If my baby does not want to open her mouth, then how can I clean her mouth?
When you put your finger near your baby's mouth, your baby will slowly open her mouth as she thinks that you are trying to feed her. Try it with patience and you should be able to make your baby open her mouth.

What if my baby bites my finger when I try to clean his mouth?
It is natural for your baby to bite your finger when you try to put your finger into his mouth. Keep wiping his mouth and it will be opened again.

I cannot reach the gums at the back of my baby's mouth. What should I do?
You can put your finger at the corner of your baby's mouth and then reach inside along the inside surface of her cheek until you reach the gum at the back of the mouth. At this point insert your finger gently in-between the upper and lower gums (as shown in the picture). Your baby will open her mouth and you can wipe the gums at the back.

When is the best time to wipe my baby's mouth?
Since new born babies have not established a regular feeding pattern, it is difficult for parents to decide which meal will be their last meal of the day. Parents can then set a fixed time to wipe their baby's mouth every night. 

When your baby grows older (over 6 months old) and has established regular feeding habits, you can wipe your baby's mouth after the last meal of the day.

Reference information: , www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

To prevent teeth coloring

There are several factors affecting the color of teeth, like natural aging process, nicotine stains, drinking coffee or tea, accumulation of plaque and tartar deposits etc. To prevent teeth coloring, you are recommend to brush / floss after meal and regular dentist cleaning. Improper use of bleaching agents will damage gums and tooth supporting tissues. Be careful when using bleaching agents and consult your dentist for proper usage of bleaching agents and it’s harmful to health if bleaching agent is ingested accidentally, so it is recommended to consult your dentist before.

What is/ are the treatment(s) for tooth whitening?

1. Laser Bleaching. The blue light has been clinically-proven for bleaching tooth enamel and can be done in dental office.  

2.Take Home Dentist Supervised Bleaching.

Impressions (mould) of teeth are taken to make a model and a custom whitening tray is constructed from this model. The trays are filled with a gentle whitening solution, and are inserted and worn over the teeth overnight.

Comparisons of the professional tooth whitening and Over-the-counter whitening toothpaste

	Professional tooth whitening	OTC whitening toothpaste
Treatment Time	~1 hour	1 month
Color Change	Average of 8 shades	1-2 shades
Fadeback	Less	More
Duration	Long lasting	Loss of results with discontinued use
Stains	Superficial and interprismatic stains	Superficial stains only

Reference information: www.bjdental.com

It is not intended as medical advice to any specific person. If you have any need for personal advice or have any questions regarding your health, please consult your Dentist for diagnosis and treatment.