THE DENTIST ADVISES
PEDODONTICS is the dental specialty which deals with children who begin getting their first teeth at about six months of age. They have a full complement of “baby” teeth which dentists call deciduous teeth usually by the age of three. So a baby from six months old can and should be brought to a dental clinic for his or her first dental visit. By about the age of six, the child begins losing the “baby” teeth as the permanent teeth  start to erupt. The last decidious teeth are lost anywhere from 11 to 14 years of age.

Avoid taking a chance with your children’s health. For example, some dentists like to use stainless steel crowns on baby teeth.  The problem is that a child can react to the nickel and become very ill, and no one will think that the illness came from the child’s dental work.

Dentists treat children from infancy to the point when the child goes off to secondary school. Particularly the early years of this period are extremely important. A child is constantly in the process of development. In fact, every day sees new changes. Every stage builds on the previous stages of development. Thus anything that has adverse effects on a child runs the risk of having impact on the rest of their life.
Children’s physical systems can be more vital and reactive than those of adults, so toxic intrusions can cause severe problems. Be extremely cautious of dental work with your children. An extraction should only be done if the permanent tooth will erupt within six months. Too many dentists recommend invasive dental procedures that can be devastating later on.
We are usually completely unaware of the impact of this kind of dental work on young children. Since we do not recognize the problem, we do not have statistics to understand the scope of the issue. We have no way of knowing how many children may have suffered unnecessary illness brought on by dental procedures.
Avoid taking a chance with your children’s health. For example, some dentists like to use stainless steel crowns on baby teeth.  The problem is that a child can react to the nickel and become very ill, and no one will think that the illness came from the child’s dental work.
The recommended approach is fluoride gel which is useful in protecting children’s teeth against caries.    I would strongly recommend that only non-metal restorative materials be used for your child’s dental work. My view is that one should never allow a dentist to put an amalgam filling in their child’s mouth.
A spoon full of sugar may help the medicine go down, but most dentists would likely encourage parents to skip that step when treating a child’s illness. However, most parents might not realize that even without the sugar, some children’s medicines may cause cavities while they’re fighting other health issues.
Antihistamine syrups are frequently purchased over-the-counter or prescribed to deal with problems such as chronic allergies or the flu. However, many of these syrups contain low pH levels and high acidity which can be a dangerous combination for a child’s teeth.
The sugar in the medication combined with the acids dissolve dental enamel, causing erosion. It’s important to talk with your dentist about any medications that your child is on and see what he or she recommends to combat the problems those medications might cause.

Recent studies revealed that placing children’s teeth in contact with syrupy medications could cause erosion to the outer layers of the teeth. However, when teeth were treated with a topical fluoride, the decay was minimal. So, although some medications are necessary for general health, they can be extremely harmful to the teeth if the medicine is given at bedtime or without following proper oral health habits.
Since the flow of saliva, nature’s buffer against cavities, decreases during the night, medicines given before bedtime can do a great deal of damage if a child does not brush away sugar and acids. A fluoride toothpaste can provide extra protection against decay.  
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