A Guide to Creatively Handling a Child's Dental Health
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A Guide to Creatively Handling a Child's Dental Health

My family's dental health is important to me. Unfortunately for me, it is not as important to my little ones. Getting my kids to brush and floss on a daily basis is almost like taking on an obstacle course. I talked to my family's dentist about different methods I could try to encourage them to brush and floss on a regular basis. Some of the tricks worked, some did not. After some experimentation and talking to other parents, I was able to come up with a lot of great tips for helping kids care for their teeth. I started this blog to help other parents get creative when it comes to their kids and dental care.

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A Guide to Creatively Handling a Child's Dental Health

Should You Choose Amalgam Or Resin For Fillings For Children's Teeth?

Bella Snyder

As a parent, you are likely to encounter toothaches and cavities in your child even with the best oral care. Making some choices when it comes to tooth filing for children can be a daunting affair, but once your dentist has brought you up to speed with the available options, you will find something that suits your child.

Types of Tooth Filling for Children

Interestingly, pediatric dentists have tried several filling materials on children including beeswax, amalgam, ceramic and composite resin over time. However, for filling permanent teeth in children, two materials have stood out and passed the test of time because of their remarkable qualities: amalgam and composite resin.

Each has a number of benefits as well as drawbacks, and ultimately the parent has to choose the best option depending on her child's dental situation. Fortunately, your pediatric dentist is there to help in informing you of the options, so you can be able to make an informed decision.

Amalgam

Dental amalgam is an alloy comprising of silver, tin, mercury, and copper. It has been in use for well past a century and is arguably the most studied alloy in dental history. Today, the amalgam used for pediatric dental care has been further refined to be safer and even more durable.

Benefits of Amalgam are:

  1. Cost effective - given that children care very little for aesthetics and that their teeth will fall out anyway by age 12, the use of amalgam is very common in pediatric dentistry
  2. Less sensitive to moisture - pediatric dentists find amalgam easier to place as it is less sensitive to moisture
  3. Durable - if longevity is what a parent is going for, then amalgam is a good choice as it has an average lifespan of 12 years and if properly taken care of can stretch up to 20 years

Drawbacks to amalgam are:

Safety - the American Dental Association deem amalgam fillings as completely safe, but some parents have reservations about the mercury contained in the material

Stains - amalgam can leak out into other teeth leaving your child teeth with a silvery grey tinge

Dark colored - amalgams starts out as silver but darkens with time to look like the cavities they were supposed to correct in the first place

Composite Resin

Composite resin is popular because of the aesthetic finish that leaves your child's natural smile intact. The constitution of dental resin is made from ground white porcelain and durable resins.

Benefits of composite resin are:

Easy repair - the tooth decay is removed, and the composite resin is piped in place before a tiny UV light is used to immediately cure the filling

Instant curing - composite resin cures instantly with the help of the UV light allowing the material to bond seamlessly with your child's tooth

Tight fit - with this material the teeth are tighter eliminating the chances of cavity creeping in

Draw Backs of composite resin are:

Lifespan - shorter lifespan of about seven to eight years in comparison to amalgam

Multiple pediatric dentist visits- as this material may have to be applied in layers it might mean several dental visits

When there is a need to visit your pediatric dentist, you are now better informed on what option for filling your child has. For more information, contact a dental office like Pembroke  Pines Dental.


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