Teething Stages

Your child is teething and you're looking for answers on what to expect. You've come to the right place, At Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental, we want to ease the pain that comes along with teething and help give you the right information.

5 Stages Of Teething

Stage 1 (0-6 months): All 20 primary teeth are there beneath your little ones' gums.

- These are sometimes called "milk teeth" due to the diet.

Stage 2 (6-8 months): The first four teeth emerge. These will be the upper and lower incisors.

- Give your baby something appropriate to chew on to ease the pain. Be aware of extra drool.

Stage 3 (10-14 months): The other incisors and first molars erupt.

- Your little one will be uncomfortable and cranky. Be prepared for changes in sleep patterns. Consult with a pediatrician if you're considering over-the-counter pain medications.

Stage 4 (16-22 months): This is when the canines (between the incisors and molars) erupt.

- Use the comfort ideas from the previous two stages.

Stage 5 (25-33 months): This is the big one, literally. This is when the second molars, the biggest teeth, erupt.

- This will not be pleasant for your little one, and the things that worked previously may not help anymore.

Tips For Soothing Teething Pains

- Hard rubber teething ring - may be chilled

- Clean, damp washcloth to suck on - may be chilled

- Keep a clean, dry bib to deal with drool and prevent rashes or irritation

- If on solid foods, let your little one chew on safe, hard vegetables like a peeled cucumber bit. Be watchful for choking hazards and allergies though.

- Over-the-counter pain remedies may be appropriate, but always consult with your child's pediatrician for what is safe and what the proper dosage is.

If you feel you're out of soothing ideas or have more questions about teething, contact us. We'll be glad to make recommendations and answer all questions! As you and your child grow through this teething process, it is important to remember that there are trained, friendly professionals who are here to guide you.

When Should I Have Checkups For My Child?

Good dental health for children is something parents must begin to work on while they are infants. As soon as a child begins to get teeth, they should begin getting regular check-ups. A pediatric dentist will examine the mouth of your child, looking for new teeth and signs of infection. At age 12 months, some children have 8 teeth and others have none, but this is still a good time to schedule your child's first dental check-up.

At Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental we understand the importance of identifying and addressing dental problems as early as possible. At your baby's first check-up, we will perform a thorough examination to see if the gums are red, swollen, or tender because of new teeth erupting or signs of any dental issues. We can suggest ways to soothe your child's aching gums and teach parents safe, painless techniques for cleaning children's first teeth as they begin to appear. We recommend children have at least one dental check-up every 6 months to a year beginning at age one.

We specialize in providing children with excellent dental care. We will work with parents to ensure their children learn good dental habits that will benefit them for a lifetime. We teach simple techniques to ensure children have clean, healthy teeth and gums. We are board certified pediatric dentistry and orthodontics specialists. We provide our young patients with the superior care they need to build a solid dental health foundation. We help them to understand taking care of their teeth now will prevent pain and pay dividends for years to come.

Our staff is warm, friendly, and welcoming. We know exactly what to do to make children feel comfortable. Once we get them to relax, we ensure their teeth and gums are healthy and teach them some simple things they can do to keep their teeth looking, functioning, and feeling great. If we see a problem with your children's teeth or gums, we identify the cause and create a comprehensive treatment plan to address it. This helps to eliminate problems before they negatively impact the child's smile, ability to eat comfortably, and their confidence.

If you have further questions pediatric dentistry, contact us!

How Do Fillings Work?

Dental decay can be unsightly and painful in most instances. It is the sugar in foods that you eat collaborating with the bacteria in plaque in order to produce an acid that can begin to erode and destroy the enamel. The body can give its best attempt to neutralize such activity, but this usually takes about an hour during which the harm might be done. Thankfully, the dental fillings are able to help restore much of this if delivered in time, but how do these fillings work?

Dental decay can be unsightly and painful in most instances. It is the sugar in foods that you eat collaborating with the bacteria in plaque in order to produce an acid that can begin to erode and destroy the enamel. The body can give its best attempt to neutralize such activity, but this usually takes about an hour during which the harm might be done. Thankfully, dental fillings are able to help restore much of this if delivered in time, but how do these fillings work?

Preparing for A Dental Filling

The precursor to the actual placement of the dental filling is the preparation process that the dentist starts by cutting the tooth using a rotary handpiece and dental burrs.This a great tool for working on tooth enamel because the cutting edges are so small that if the tool accidentally touches the soft tissue of the mouth, it will not cause harm. Those tissues will flex out of the way while the harder enamel cannot do so and gets cut to the desired level.

The Filling Material

This preparation will continue until the unsound parts of the tooth are removed as well as all lingering dental decay. At the same time, the dental worker will make space for the filling material to be laid.There is a myriad of filling materials that might be used in order to reconstruct and reinforce the tooth after this space has been made.These include things such as amalgam because of its low cost, durability, and strength that makes it one of the more common types of fillings. But, there are alternatives like gold, porcelain, composites, and more that might be used depending on the type and extent of the preparation.

Overall, the mouth is a resilient place, and the teeth can be kept in good functional and aesthetic condition if treated in time. We are professionals at preparing for and placing fillings so that they will work effectively. Contact us today!

Common Child Dental Problems

When it comes to children, most teeth problems are common and not very serious. This is the good news, but if there is a problem, that most likely means you need to upgrade your child’s oral health. Children are more likely to suffer from poor dental development mainly because of their diet. Consuming a lot of sugary stuff without properly brushing teeth leads to a number of problems discussed below:

Tooth Decay

In order to understand tooth decay, we need to understand the importance of baby teeth. Baby teeth are space holders that guide the eruption of permanent teeth. They have multiple purposes and ensure jaw development. When tooth decay occurs, baby teeth can no longer perform their functions and can cause discomfort. The plaque can damage the teeth forming underneath if not properly cleaned. A badly decayed tooth can also lead to an abscess forming that can spread and infect the mouth altogether.

Sensitive Teeth

Dental issues can also cause teeth sensitivity. Brushing aggressively or using a hard brush can erode tooth enamel. Tooth erosion can also result from highly acidic foods and beverages. When the dentin is exposed, hot and cold beverages can irritate sensitive teeth by causing discomfort near the nerve endings. Special toothpastes formulated to desensitize teeth can help overcome or alleviate tooth sensitivity.

Gum Disease

There are gum conditions in which a poor oral hygiene plays a role in inflaming the gum tissue. The accumulation of plague damages the bone tissue overtime. During the early stages of gingivitis, the gums tend to bleed easily. They remain red and swollen, and release an odor in the mouth. This disease can eventually culminate in tooth loss. However, this disease is highly preventable by maintaining a good oral hygiene.

Luckily, many orthodontic problems are not beyond treatment. Aside from being preventable they’re also curable when the right steps are taken. Consult one of our professionals at Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental. Contact us to make an appointment today!

Dental Hygiene After Cold or Flu

At Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental, the dental health of your child is our utmost priority. Our diverse team of professionals is highly skilled and dedicated to offering the best services that can improve children's lives forever. We understand that cold or flu can adversely affect the dental health of a child. For instance, when a child is enduring a cold or the flu, he / she becomes vulnerable to bacterial pneumonia that can ultimately cause severe gum problems. In other instances, one is likely to have severe toothaches on the upper teeth when suffering from cold or flu.

Other conditions that might affect the dental health of your child include:

•    Weather - In particular, the cold winter air that usually causes cold or flu may cause tooth sensitivity because of various underlying dental problems like weak or thin enamel, cavities, gum recession, and more.

•    Allergies - These may cause pain and discomfort to the roots of the teeth as a result of sinus swelling.

•    Excessive consumption of sugar – Eating too many sweets result in weakening the enamel.

•    Nasal congestion and dry mouth - This provides a conducive environment for bacterial growth leading to tooth decay and gum diseases.

•    Toothbrushes - These also harbor bacteria and can remain contaminated long after a cold or flu infection. It can even cause another infection.

We provide various ways of dealing with the above concerns, and more to assist our patients to recover sooner and prevent re-infection. When a child sees a dentist soon after noticing cold symptoms, he / she stands a chance of protecting their teeth as well as the overall health.

We also have a wide range of tested and approved dental care products at our facilities to help your child reduce the chances of developing dental problems. Some of which are sugar-free syrups. You can locate us in Massapequa / Massapequa Park, West Islip, and Nesconset. Our services and experts are far-reaching and parents on Long Island can easily access our dental and orthodontic services.

Kindly remember that consulting our experts as soon as you notice these symptoms puts your child a step closer to his / her dental health recovery. The dental health of your child matters to us.

For more information and to book an appointment, contact us today!

Why It’s Important To Keep Your Gums Clean

Everyone is well versed in the importance of keeping your teeth brushed and flossed. However, it is equally important to clean the unsung hero of your mouth: the gums. 

The gums are often neglected, which leads to gum disease. Gum disease is infection that affects the tissue and bones which support your teeth. There are two basic types of gum disease. One type is gingivitis which solely affects the gums. Periodontitus affects the bone and supporting tissue around the teeth. Keeping your gums clean will help prevent gum disease.

Receding gums is another symptom of poor gum cleaning habits. This condition is created when gum recession occurs and pockets are formed between the teeth and the gum line. This causes the gum to pull back and expose more of the tooth, or even the tooth root. Also, the pockets formed create a pleasing environment for bacteria to build up. Left untreated, this can eventually lead to severe damage to the supporting tissue and bone. Once the supporting structure of the tooth is weakened, the result be loss of teeth. 

Another symptom of gum disease is swollen and bleeding gums. Most people have experienced this at one time or another, but even though there are many reasons for your gums to bleed, it is wise to examine how you are taking care of your teeth and gums to figure out the root of the problem. 

Gums play a very important roll in your dental health. For example, by keeping your gums healthy, you lower your risk of heart attack or stroke. Most people don't realize that bacteria in their mouth can make its way into the bloodstream. This increases your chances of a heart attack or stroke.

Taking care of your gums also prevents or minimizes diabetes. Glucose levels are affected by many variables, and gum disease is no exception. Diabetics are more susceptible to gum disease. When a diabetic suffers from gum disease, their glucose levels can be adversely affected. 

Gum health plays an important role in overall. Be sure to have regular check ups and brush your teeth and gums every day for a healthier mouth and body.

Contact Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental today!

What Makes Us Have Crooked Teeth?

At the offices of Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental, your child can have a number of service types such as preventative and diagnostic, aesthetic, restorative, pain-free and sedation dentistry, interceptive orthodontics, as well as holistic dentistry.

It is essential for children to have good dental care so that they can avoid having problems with their teeth later on. One of the most common issues that arise from inadequate dental care is that children grow up to have crooked teeth, the severity of which varies. The most severe cases are because of trauma, but the most common reasons are losing the baby teeth too late or not having a dentist assist in the process.  The new teeth grow crooked, because they had to struggle for space before the baby teeth fell out. Later, the teeth start to position themselves in a way that fills out any gaps along the jaw.

There are many things that can prevent the crooked teeth, and it all starts with seeing the dentist on a regular basis. At Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental, the dentists and orthodontists take time to explain to the child and the parent about the state of the teeth, the jaw, any concerns, and all corrective options.

The professionals at the offices Adelberg Montalvan Pediatric Dental value good communication, and we ensure you will have a pleasant, informative visit.

For more information on crooked teeth and corrective procedures, contact us.