Fear of the dentist starts in childhood and continues in most people into adulthood. In order to prevent such situations and to avoid childhood trauma, this job should be done by experts. This is where the main branch of pedodontics comes into play. Pedodontics, in other words, pediatric dentistry, is a pioneer in protecting the health of the milk and permanent teeth of children aged 0-13 and in providing regular oral and dental health care.   Pedodontists perform the necessary oral and dental health applications for babies and children.   Here are some of the applications performed by pedodontists;

• Oral and dental health control
• Tooth extraction
• Treatment of dental disorders resulting from trauma 
• Filling treatment
• Children's dentures
• Regulating eating habits

 Pedodontists apply preventive procedures to protect permanent teeth after they erupt. These procedures include fluoride applications, fissure sealants, and placeholders. 

 Fluoride applications:Fluoride is an element that plays a preventive role in tooth decay andstrengthens the structure of the teeth. Since the tooth enamel in the first teeth cannot fully develop, these teeth are generally more vulnerable to decay and are prone to decay formation. The fluoride element strengthens the tooth enamel, protects the tooth against acidic agents and plays a helpful role in preventing the formation of tooth decay. Professional fluoride application is a preventive procedure that can only be performed by dentists. It is recommended that fluoride application be applied by dentists every six months.  

Fissure Sealant Application:Fissures are defined as cracks found on the sharp surfaces of teeth. The starting point of tooth decay is usually the fissure. To prevent this, the teeth are covered with fissure sealants and precautions are taken before decay begins to form on the tooth. Fissure sealant application is an effective and preventive method against the formation of tooth decay. The protective substance used to close these cracks that occur on the chewing surfaces of the molars and that the toothbrush has difficulty reaching is called fissure sealant application. Thanks to this application, the cracks that occur are covered with fissure sealant, preventing bacteria on the teeth and the formation of decay resulting from bacteria. Fissure sealant application is also known as dental vaccination. Fissure application (dental vaccine) has a preventive and therapeutic effect against the formation of decayed teeth in children. Fissure sealant The importance of the application in the treatment of decayed teeth in children should not be forgotten.  

Placeholders: Baby teeth are very important teeth because they will guide the permanent teeth that will come out later. In addition to being so important, sometimes, due to any reason, decay of baby teeth or their early loss may cause other teeth around them to move towards the resulting space. As a result, the tooth structure becomes crooked. To prevent this crookedness, a procedure called space maintainer application is applied to the empty areas of the teeth until the follow-up teeth emerge. In this way, the empty areas are protected.  

How to Become a Pedodontist?

Pedodontics is a dentistry that protects the health of children's primary and follow-up teeth. There are two stages to becoming a Pedodontist must pass. First of all, they must graduate from the faculty of dentistry of universities with a bachelor's degree. After graduation, they must pass the DUS, or Dentistry Specialization Education Exam, and then complete their specialist training in pedodontics. People who will become pedodontists must be patient, creative, understand children's language, have manual and finger skills, and have skills such as process management.   

How is a Pedodontic Examination?

It is recommended that children's dental examinations are first performed by a specialist dentist when the primary teeth begin to erupt. Eskişehir pedodontics examination is performed regularly every six months. Thanks to regular examinations, children's oral and dental health is protected and precautions are taken in advance for possible cavities. In addition to pedodontists, families should also help their children get into the habit of brushing their teeth regularly.  

 This article was written by Eskişehir Oral and Dental Polyclinic Minepol for the purpose of informing patients.