Dentra

Preventive Dentistry

Preventive dentistry focuses on maintaining oral health from pregnancy to adulthood, preventing decay, gum disease, and misalignment through proper care and regular dental visits.

Intrauterine Preventive Dentistry

For The Fetus:
  • - Teeth start their development between the third and sixth months of pregnancy.
  • - The mother should avoid medications that might negatively affect the primary teeth development, calcium deposition, or discoloration.
  • - The mother's diet should be monitored during the nine months of pregnancy, as it affects the development of her unborn child (including teeth development).

For The Mother:
  • - Mothers may be inclined to snack between meals. Such practice should be limited as it may cause tooth decay.
  • - Gum inflammation may occur during pregnancy due to increased progesterone levels. This condition is called Pregnancy Gingivitis and will most likely fade after delivery. However, to avoid complications, dental care is required.

Childhood Preventive Dentistry

Primary (baby) teeth begin to show within six months to a year of birth. Those teeth are as important as permanent (adult) teeth, as they:

  • - Help children chew, speak, and have a good-looking smile.
  • - Hold space in the jaws for permanent teeth, which develop under the gums before emerging. Subsequently, a premature loss of baby teeth will result in crowded teeth and affect permanent teeth’s ability to emerge.
  • - Aid in the development of face and jaw bones.

Maintaining regular visits to the dentist, especially at a young age, helps keep track of teeth development and monitor their health.

In addition, the dentist can demonstrate how to properly clean baby teeth and how to stop children from practicing bad habits such as thumb-sucking, mouth-breathing, and teeth-grinding.

Decay Prevention

Baby Bottle Decay:

A fast, destructive decay that occurs in babies’ front teeth due to improper or absent cleaning for extended periods after sweetened liquids are drunk through a bottle.

Prevention tips:

  • - After each feeding, clean the baby's gums with clean, wet gauze.
  • - Start brushing teeth as soon as the first tooth emerges.
  • - Never allow your child to sleep with a bottle containing milk.
  • - If your child needs a comforter, give him a clean pacifier (not sugary).
  • - If the local water supply does not contain enough fluoride, ask Dentra for alternative ways to introduce it into the child's life.

Common Decay:

A slowly progressing decay that occurs when bacteria act on retained food, producing acid that damages the outer layers of teeth.

Tips for prevention:

  • - Dentra staff can apply sealants to the surfaces of back teeth, which act as a barrier and protect the entire tooth from acids.
  • - Proper oral cleaning.
  • - Visit Dentra regularly, with at least one visit every six months.
  • - Avoid dental psychological trauma to allow proper follow-up and treatment (especially with children).
  • - Use pastes containing calcium and fluoride that Dentra provides to prevent caries from occurring in present teeth and allow proper development of erupting teeth.

Badly Aligned (Crowded) Teeth Prevention

Tips for Prevention:

- Avoid early loss of primary teeth, which, upon occurrence, should be followed by inserting a space maintainer.
- Avoid thumb-sucking, which may cause problems with jaw-bone growth and alignment of the teeth.
- Use Dentra-provided trainers, which are pre-orthodontic appliances made of rubber (colored or transparent). They apply constant pressure to the child's bone, stimulating the bone to grow, thus guiding it to a normal growth pattern.


Pre-orthodontic appliances may also help in:
- Directing the teeth to a normal alignment, thus eliminating or decreasing teeth overlaps.
- Eliminating bad habits, such as mouth-breathing and teeth-grinding.
- Preventing caries and strengthening tooth structure.

Gum Disease Prevention

Oral bacteria, together with food particles, form a sticky substance on teeth surfaces called plaque. If plaque is left un-cleaned, it hardens and forms a white coating called calculus (tartar), which later on becomes darker in color. It is impossible to remove calculus with normal brushing thus bacteria will proliferate in calculus, secreting toxins and waste products that irritate, inflame, and damage your gum. Regular appointments every 6 months for dental care allow Dentra to remove all soft food deposits and hard calculus from your teeth by using Ultrasonic Vibrating Tools. This procedure is painless and requires no injections.
Frequently Asked Questions
1Why are children's primary teeth important?
Baby teeth help children chew and speak. They also hold space in the jaws for their subsequent adult teeth that are developing underneath the gum, preventing future crowding (misaligned teeth).
2What is the suitable age for the beginning of child’s dental teeth care?
A dentist should examine a child within six months of their baby teeth emerging; the dentist can demonstrate how to clean the child's teeth properly and how to evaluate any adverse habits such as thumb-sucking.
3What is baby bottle tooth decay?
It is a type of dental decay occurring among infants and children. It usually affects the upper front teeth the most, but other teeth may also be affected.
4What causes baby bottle tooth decay?
It occurs when sweetened liquids are given and are left on an infant's teeth for long periods without cleaning.
5How can decay of primary teeth be prevented?
After each feeding, wipe the baby's gum with a clean gauze pad. Begin brushing your child's teeth when the first tooth emerges. If your child needs a comforter between regular feedings give him a clean pacifier. Avoid dental psychological trauma to allow proper follow-up and treatment. Begin the regular dental care visits when the first primary tooth erupts. Apply sealants (sealing material that bonds to grooves between back teeth for protection) just after the emerging of the back primary teeth.
6How does a sealant help to prevent decay?
A sealant is a sealing material that usually bonds into the depressions and grooves of the back teeth and acts as a barrier, protecting teeth from plaque and acids. It is used because brushing and flossing help remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of teeth but cannot reach the depressions and grooves.
7Do sealants require reapplication?
Sealants hold up well under the force of normal chewing and usually last several years before a reapplication is needed.
8Are sealants just for kids?
No. Adults can benefit from sealants as well.
9Is there a connection between my pregnancy diet and my oral health?
What you eat during the nine months of pregnancy affects the development of your unborn child, including their teeth. Your baby’s teeth begin to develop between the third and sixth month of pregnancy, so it is important that you receive sufficient amounts of nutrients, especially calcium, protein, phosphorous, and vitamins A, C, and D.
10Does a woman lose calcium from her teeth during pregnancy?
No. The calcium your baby needs is provided by your diet, not by your teeth. If dietary calcium is inadequate, however, your body will provide this mineral from your bones.
11Does pregnancy affect my gums?
Gingivitis (red, puffy, or tender gums that are prone to bleeding when you brush), is common during the second to eight months of pregnancy due to hormonal changes.
12What are “pregnancy tumors”?
Pregnancy tumors are overgrowths of gum tissue between teeth which tend to bleed easily, and will most likely fade after delivery.
13What can I do to keep my mouth healthy during pregnancy?
Maintaining regular dental care visits to the dental clinic (at least twice a year) can help you keep your mouth healthy during pregnancy.

For more info, don't hesitate to contact us.