We Care About Your Children!

Our care for your children extends to making them feel comfortable during their visits with our thoughtful and compassionate attention. Our friendly dental team helps put young patients at ease so they enjoy coming to our office. During their regular dental cleanings and visits, we also teach and encourage them to take good care of their teeth on a daily basis. And we enjoy caring for them and watching them grow year after year. Savannah Dental Solutions is a trusted pediatric dentist that provides children with specialized dental treatment in a comfortable environment.

Calming Dental Fears

We know that sometimes the reason adults have fear of dental visits is because of an unhappy visit to a dentist when they were a child. It is our goal to ensure that this and future generations no longer develop any fear of dental treatments. We achieve this by providing a relaxed and happy place to visit for children of all ages. No matter what past experience your child may have had at a dentist, he or she will love to visit us!

Your Children’s Dentist Is as Important as Their Pediatrician

Instilling good dental care habits at an early age helps children to keep good oral health for a lifetime. Children’s teeth are more prone to decay for various reasons. Often, they do not brush properly or thoroughly on their own. We encourage parents to be present when their children are cleaning their teeth. This helps to ensure they develop good dental habits.

Children generally eat throughout the day, which exposes their teeth more frequently to the acid produced by food. If teeth are already not as clean as they can be, additional acid increases the risk that cavities will develop. If poor hygiene or dietary choices are recognized and corrected, together with an application of a fluoride varnish to teeth, the chances of a cavity can be greatly reduced.

Preventing Child Tooth Decay – The Easy Way!

We understand that children may not brush as well as they should. And even thorough brushing may not clean all the deep grooves or contours of teeth. Once plaque from the accumulation of bacteria sets in, decay will develop. Even the smallest amount of decay will need a filling restoration.

Let us introduce to you a way to keep this from happening. With an application of a dental sealant to each tooth, the chances of decay are greatly reduced.

Here’s how the sealants are applied:

  • After all the teeth are cleaned and sterilized, a thin coating of a transparent varnish is applied to all exposed areas of each tooth. A curing light is used to bond the sealant to the teeth.
  • This entire procedure takes just minutes, and no shots or drills are needed. The whole tooth structure remains intact and it is harmless, yet very effective in helping children and adolescents keep their natural teeth for a lifetime!

Childrens Dentistry at Savannah Dental Solutions

What Do Kids Have to Say About the Tooth Fairy?

Pediatric Dentistry FAQs

Baby bottle tooth decay is the common name for decay and cavities in infants’ and toddlers’ teeth. It can be caused by bacteria transferred to the baby’s mouth from the mother’s mouth, but the culprit is often sugary drinks given in the baby’s bottle.

You can help prevent baby bottle tooth decay by providing your baby with plain water, especially if you give a bottle at naptime or bedtime. Brush the baby’s teeth regularly, and start regular dental checkups starting soon after the first tooth emerges.

Tongue and lip tie are related conditions caused by the misplacement or overgrowth of the frenulum, or the fold of tissue that connects the tongue to the mouth. Babies with tongue or lip tie often have trouble achieving a proper latch for feeding. They may also have difficulty breathing and swallowing, and they may not be able to transition properly to solid food. Jaw and tooth development can also be at risk.

Fortunately, tongue and lip tie can be easily treated through a procedure known as a frenectomy. A minimally invasive laser frenectomy can release the constricting tissue in babies as young as 3 days old, with no antibiotics, sedation, or anesthesia. There is little to no discomfort or scarring.

It depends on the child’s age. Infants have a natural sucking reflex, and a pacifier can be highly soothing. It can even reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) by regulating the depth of sleep. With strong benefits and no evidence of harm to oral health and development, pacifiers are highly recommended for babies under the age of two.

Toddlers aged two and above, though, should not use pacifiers. At this age, pacifiers are linked to problems with oral development, too misalignment, and even ear infections.

According to the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, infants should have an initial dental checkup within six months of getting their first tooth, or right around their first birthday. This visit is often handled by the pediatrician in conjunction with a well baby visit, and the pediatrician may continue to handle the child’s dental care through her second year of life.

According to the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, infants should have an initial dental checkup within six months of getting their first tooth, or right around their first birthday. This visit is often handled by the pediatrician in conjunction with a well baby visit, and the pediatrician may continue to handle the child’s dental care through her second year of life.

Baby teeth do not always follow a predictable schedule, so try not to worry too much about your baby’s individual timing. However, once they start to emerge, baby teeth generally follow a loose pattern. Here is what to expect:

  • Lower central incisors: The middle teeth on the bottom usually emerge close to the same time, at age 4 to 6 months.
  • Upper central incisors: The middle teeth on the top are next, and generally arrive at 8 to 12 months of age.
  • Upper lateral incisors: The top teeth on either side of the middle usually come in at around 9 to 13 months.
  • Lower lateral incisors: Your baby will likely receive the matching teeth on the bottom at 10 to 16 months old.
  • Upper first molars: The next teeth actually skip a slot in the baby’s mouth. The upper first molars arrive at approximately 13 to 19 months of age.
  • Lower first molars: The lower first molars come in at roughly 14 to 18 months old, giving your baby a much better capacity to chew.
  • Upper canines: The upper canines appear at about 16 to 22 months, filling in the gap between the incisors and the molars.
  • Lower canines: The lower canines are next, at roughly 17 to 23 months of age.
  • Lower second molars: The lower second molars generally emerge during the child’s second year of life, adding even more ability to chew.
  • Upper second molars: The upper second molars are the last to emerge, completing the set of 20 baby teeth near the child’s third birthday.

Humans have just 20 baby teeth, and 32 permanent teeth. This means that the jaw must grow and expand to make room for the developing permanent teeth. All teeth form underneath the gum tissue and then emerge, and the crown always forms before the tooth roots do.

The process of losing baby teeth and gaining permanent teeth can take about 6 years. The first baby teeth usually fall out around the age of 6, and most kids lose the rest of them around age 12. The permanent premolars come in behind the primary molars, and then the permanent molars emerge in newly empty space as the jaw develops.

“Mixed dentition,” when kids have a collection of baby teeth, permanent teeth, and empty gaps in the mouth, can be frustrating for both parents and children, but nature generally takes care of it. Make sure your child sees their pediatric dentist regularly, and all will be well—at least until their wisdom teeth start to emerge in their late teens. These are the last teeth to come in, and they may need to be removed if they develop problems.

Since baby teeth fall out anyway, many parents are unconcerned about keeping them healthy. However, baby teeth actually play several important roles in your child’s dental health.

First, baby teeth allow your child to eat normally. If they become decayed or deteriorate so badly that they must be pulled, your child might end up restricting his diet until the permanent teeth emerge—not a good situation for a growing child!

Baby teeth also serve as spacers for the permanent teeth. If the baby teeth remain healthy until they fall out naturally, the permanent teeth are more likely to emerge properly aligned.

Dental infections can become systemic. If your child’s baby teeth become infected, it is important to ensure that the infection does not spread to the rest of the body.

Finally, people tend to continue the habits that they learn in childhood. Taking good care of the baby teeth helps to ensure a lifetime of good dental health habits.

Schedule the First Step Toward Your Healthiest Smile

We are excited to meet you and discuss your dental needs.  Call our office today at (912) 354-1366 or use the contact form here and we’ll get in touch with you to schedule an appointment.