Usually, first baby teeth erupt around about six months of age. It would be appropriate for your child to visit the dentist between 6 and 12 months of age. For infants,  prevention is way more important than getting treatments. In that sense, it would be ideal if the child gets regular dental check-ups every 3-6 months.

There are many different factors that contribute to protrusion of teeth. It can be discrepancy between maxilla, unfavorable positioning of anterior teeth, abnormal breathing patterns, parafunctional oral habits, and etc. Accordingly, treatment plans vary for different causes. You should visit a dental clinic to figure out about the cause and get consults on treatment plans.

It is not surprising that people can associate negative emotions with any kind of medical experiences. To minimize the anxiety level, our clinic has means for distraction such as the main media-wall, Youtube-connected tv-screens on the ceilings + headphones, books & toys for children, and small gifts on their way out. For children, however, it is important that parents or care-givers should not threaten their children with dental visits in daily lives. For instance, if you scared your child who eats sweets by saying, “you will have to have your dentist pull your teeth out soon,” it would be weird if the child shows calm and cooperative behaviors at the clinic. It would be helpful if a child thinks of dental visit like a visit for hair-cut (something that happens on a regular basis). 

Something must be done immediately because an uncooperative child can get injured while being treated. The first line for behavior control is “voice”. Clinicians can use a low and determined tone when they speak to the child. Also we can use nitrogen oxide, also known as “laughing gas”, with oxygen to calm down the child. If the child is grown enough to communicate and build rapport with her/his doctor, the parents might be asked to leave the treatment room to help the child focus on the doctor’s instructions. For some children who exhibit extreme bodily movements,  we can use what’s called “pedi-wrap” that wraps around the child’s body to limit their movements for safer treatment. If a child is too afraid or needs extensive treatments, sedative treatment or general anesthesia may be used. Every step will be done with parental consent after explanations.