Orthodontist Newnan

Young children, pre-teens, and teenagers all require different approaches in dealing with behavior, guiding their growth and development, and helping them avoid dental problems down the road.

A pediatric dentist like Dr. Jovas Booker has an extra two or three years of specialized training after dental school and is dedicated to the oral health of children from infancy through the teenage years.

With his additional education, pediatric dentists like Dr. Jovas have the training which allows them to offer the most up-to-date and thorough treatment for a wide variety of pediatric dental problems.

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association, your child's first visit should occur about six months after their first tooth erupts, but no later than your child's first birthday.

Although it may seem young, finding your child's "dental home" is the key to a lifetime of good dental health!

In addition to examining your baby's mouth and teeth, an important goal of the first visit is to make sure parents are educated with the tools to help prevent future dental problems.

The American Dental Association (ADA), the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), and Dr. Jovas recommend visiting a dentist twice a year for a checkup and a professional cleaning.

The exact procedure at the first visit will depend on your child's age, personality and individual needs. He may progress from simply getting familiar with the room and people to a complete examination, cleaning and topical fluoride treatment.

Dr. Jovas will also discuss preventive measures. In our effort to keep the number of X-rays to a bare minimum, X-rays are not taken on a routine basis. Instead, they are only taken if a specific dental situation warrants it.

It is very important to maintain the health of primary teeth (baby teeth). Neglected cavities can cause pain and infection, and can also lead to problems that affect the developing permanent teeth.

Primary teeth, which generally fall out between the ages of five and twelve, are important for:

• Proper chewing and eating
• Providing space for permanent teeth and guiding them into position
• Permitting normal development of the jaw bones and muscles.

Our goal at Dream Pediatric Dentistry is to minimize the amount of radiation exposure that every child receives at our office.

Most children younger than the age of five or six typically don’t have radiographs taken in our office. We do not believe in routine X-rays, but limit any films to those situations in which we have specific concern.

Once your child begins to lose their baby teeth, radiographs become necessary to make sure permanent teeth are coming in properly. Of course, when we are dealing with developing orthodontic problems, it’s necessary to assess the development of the jaw and underlying tooth structures.

With contemporary safeguards and digital radiography, the amount of radiation received in a dental X-ray examination is extremely small, which means any risk is practically nonexistent.

In fact, the dental radiographs represent a far smaller risk than an undetected and untreated dental problem.

At Dream Pediatric Dentistry, we use lead body aprons and shields to protect your child during the X-ray process, when necessary. This equipment restricts the beam to the area of interest.

A sealant is a composite material that Dr. Jovas Booker applies to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, where a majority of cavities in children can form. This sealant acts as a barrier to food, plaque, and acid, thus protecting the decay-prone areas of the teeth.

However, cavities between the teeth are not protected by sealants. As long as there isn’t any decay in your child’s tooth, Dr. Jovas recommends sealants for most permanent teeth.

If your child has a cavity, a tooth-colored filling is placed after the cavity is removed. This helps to restore the functionality of your child’s tooth.

In primary teeth, if a cavity is too large to restore with a filling, a crown may be recommended or the tooth may need to come out. If the cavity is too large and has involved the nerve of the tooth, then the nerve will be removed (pulpotomy) along with the decay, and a filling or crown will be placed. For front teeth, white restorations are used.

The first step is to meticulously clean around the sore tooth. Next, use warm salt water to rinse the mouth and displace any food trapped between teeth.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use aspirin on the aching tooth or on the gum. In the event of facial swelling, apply a cold compress to the area. For temporary pain relief, acetaminophen is recommended.

Contact our Newnan office as soon as possible so we can determine if your child should come in for a visit.

In the event of a fractured tooth, rinse all debris from the injured area with warm water. Place cold compresses over the face in the area of injury. Placement of Vaseline over the area of the broken tooth will aid in decreasing sensitivity.

Locate and save any broken tooth fragments in milk. Contact our office as soon as possible if the break appears severe.

The first thing to do is try to remain calm. This can be a very upsetting situation for both you and your child.

First and most importantly, make sure your child has not passed out or is unable to remember the injury. If this is the case, you will need to report to the emergency room right away for head trauma evaluation.

Next, determine if it is a permanent or baby tooth. If it is a baby tooth, DO NOT RE-IMPLANT. Contact our Newnan office immediately for instructions.

If it is a permanent tooth, find the tooth and pick it up by the crown of the tooth (the part you see in the mouth). Try not to handle the root of the tooth. If there appears to be debris in the tooth, rinse with water, milk, or saliva. Next, place the tooth back in the socket and contact our office immediately.

The best chance for survival of the tooth is if it has been re-implanted within 30 minutes of the injury. This is why it’s critical that you re-implant immediately.

Your child will need to be seen shortly after so the tooth can be splinted.

Due to a child's unfamiliarity with the feeling of a "numb mouth," children often bite their lips or chew their cheek after a dental visit.

Ice can be applied to any bruised areas. For bleeding, apply firm but gentle pressure with sterile gauze or a clean cloth. If the bleeding does not stop with pressure or continues after 15 minutes, please give our office a call.

Your child should wear a mouthguard whenever they are participating in an activity with a risk of falls or head contact with other players or equipment.

We usually think of football and hockey as the most dangerous to the teeth, but nearly half of sports-related mouth injuries occur in basketball and baseball.

Dr. Jovas Booker will recommend the best mouthguard for your child based on their dental needs and lifestyle.