Let your dentist make your child’s full-mouth dental restoration stress-free.

If you’ve just found out that your child needs a full-mouth dental restoration, you likely have a few questions on your mind. The two most common questions we get from parents are, “Is this really necessary?” followed by “Won’t my child be traumatized by this?”

Kids, especially youngsters, often have a hard time sitting still for basic dental treatments, like a simple filling. Knowing that, the idea of full-mouth, extensive dental care is enough to make any parent worried. However, what parents don’t often know is that modern pediatric dentistry allows for hospital sedation for procedures like full-mouth dental restorations.

Hospital dentistry allows for a safe, low-stress experience.

Your child’s pediatric dentist has two primary goals: 1) to help your child reach an optimal level of oral health and minimize any future dental problems as they reach adulthood, and 2) to prioritize your child’s comfort in all facets and minimize stress whenever possible.

Kids’ sedation dentistry allows your child’s dentist to achieve both goals. They will be able to safely restore your child’s smile to full health while also keeping them relaxed and comfortable.

The pediatric dentists of We Make Kids Smile offer full hospital dentistry services through several local hospitals in the Waldorf and Prince Frederick communities. Sedation dentistry is done under general anesthesia and fully monitored by a team of trained staff, just as if your child was undergoing minor surgery or a medical procedure.

Even though you won’t be the one undergoing full-mouth reconstruction, as a parent it’s easy to put yourself in your child’s shoes. Knowing your child is in a hospital setting, under the supervision of trained medical staff, and asleep during the process can really allow you to sigh a breath of relief.

Why a child might need full-mouth reconstruction.

Now that you understand how beneficial hospital sedation dentistry is for kids, you may still be wondering if full-mouth reconstruction is really necessary. If your child’s pediatric dentist has suggested full-mouth reconstructive or extensive restorative dental care, there is a very good reason for this.

Some common reasons a pediatric full-mouth dental restoration will be recommended include:

• Extensive tooth loss due to decay or injury.
• Multiple fractured or otherwise damaged teeth.
• Worn down teeth from bruxism (grinding) or diet.
• Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and general pain from a misaligned bite.

In situations where a child has multiple issues with their smile, it makes sense to move forward with full-mouth reconstruction. In fact, looking at the big picture of your child’s well-being, including all necessary dental care in one appointment makes more sense than multiple single appointments.

A great way of looking at this is if your child had multiple damaged teeth. Dental crowns are a great solution and kids who are confident with visiting a dentist may be able to sit well for a single crown to be placed. But what if they need three or four dental crowns along with other restorative care? Even an adult would struggle sitting in a dentist’s chair for that long.

By opting for sedation dentistry, your child will sleep through the process while their pediatric dentist completes all of the necessary treatment. The end result is fewer dental appointments for your child, less time spent out of school and work, and overall less stress for families.

What a full-mouth reconstruction process might look like.

Full-mouth reconstruction is customized for each child and their needs. Multiple restorative services are often combined to get the perfect finished appearance for your child’s new smile. These services often include:

• Dental fillings.
• Dental crowns.
• Dental bridges.
• Inlays or onlays.
• Dental implants.
• Porcelain veneers.

Occasionally, badly decayed teeth may also need to be extracted in order to protect your child’s overall oral health. Oral surgery may also be used if your child has gum damage from pediatric gum disease or needs an implant to replace a lost adult tooth.

The general process of a full-mouth reconstruction includes three appointments with your child’s pediatric dentist.

The first appointment is a consultation to learn what type of restorative care will help your child get a healthy, full smile. You can think of this as the planning stage prior to treatment. The second appointment is usually when treatment will be done in the safety of a local hospital. The third appointment is a follow-up to make sure your child is healing well and their smile is recovering as expected.

Learn how a full-mouth dental restoration can help your child.

The We Make Kids Smile team is always ready to answer questions and guide parents towards the best choices for their child’s oral health. Whether you’re ready to move forward with your child’s full-mouth dental restoration or you’re interested in a consultation, we’re eager to help.

The quickest way to get in touch with our Waldorf or Prince Frederick offices is by calling during our normal business hours. For booking or questions outside of these times, feel free to fill out this online request form instead. We look forward to partnering with you in your child’s oral health.