Paediatric Dentistry

To help your child get used to visiting the dentist, we can start with a few desensitisation appointments. In these, we playfully familiarise your child with the surroundings, the instruments and the equipment, so that they don't feel overwhelmed and don't develop a fear of the dentist.

For children aged 3 to 6, early check-ups are the main focus. For children and young people up to the age of 18, statutory health insurers provide for what are known as individual preventive services (IP 1–5). These include child-friendly toothbrushing instruction, fluoride application and fissure sealants (mineral-based) to protect the molars from decay. Because children's motor skills are usually not yet fully developed, thorough dental cleanings are also recommended.

Sealing the fissures can effectively help prevent tooth decay. In particular, the chewing surfaces of the back teeth should usually be sealed, since bacterial plaque can easily collect in the grooves and pits. Sealing is carried out with a transparent protective varnish.

If decay in a milk tooth is detected early, we can treat it particularly discreetly with a tooth-coloured filling – so-called composite or resin fillings are almost invisible in the tooth. They are applied in multiple layers, hardened with a special light, and usually last for many years. Other filling materials, such as compomers or glass ionomer cement, no longer meet today's functional or aesthetic standards for a long-lasting dental filling.

Preserving teeth is important – and this also applies to milk teeth! If a tooth is so badly damaged by decay or a dental injury that it can no longer be repaired with a filling, a paediatric crown is the treatment of choice. These are available as steel crowns for the molars, or as ceramic crowns (tooth-coloured zirconia) for the visible front teeth as well as for the molars.

Root canal treatment (endodontics) on milk teeth is advisable when the nerve of a molar is inflamed as a result of deep decay or an accident. The aim of root canal treatment is to eliminate pain and, in particular, to prevent the tooth from having to be removed. Preserving the tooth is important, as milk teeth act as placeholders for the permanent teeth. Following treatment, the tooth needs to be fitted with a paediatric crown.

Milk teeth act as natural placeholders for the permanent teeth that follow them. If milk teeth are lost too early, the further development of the teeth, or of the jaw as a whole, can be disrupted. In such cases, we recommend fitting a space maintainer, to allow for healthy function and development. Depending on what is needed, either a removable or a fixed space maintainer may be suitable.

Should pain relief be needed during treatment, we offer, on request, pre-treatment with an anaesthetic gel or spray. We can also use a technique in which the tissue is already numbed before the needle is inserted. Using computer-controlled pressure, the anaesthetic flows ahead of the needle. With this highly precise method, less anaesthetic is needed, so the effect wears off more quickly again after treatment.

In cases of severe dental anxiety or unwillingness to be treated, general anaesthesia can be advisable. This means the child's consciousness is switched off, so they feel neither fear nor pain, and treatment is therefore not distressing for them. After this kind of anaesthesia with intubation, young patients are usually back to normal very quickly and can go home again.

Experience shows that, for many people, hypnosis is an effective way of reducing anxiety and experiencing a visit to the dentist as relaxed. Even sensitivity to pain can be significantly reduced through hypnosis. This applies to adults just as much as to children. We are happy to advise you on child-friendly dental hypnosis – simply talk to us.

For teeth to stay healthy and develop well, a tooth-friendly diet matters just as much as good oral care. Something many parents are still not aware of: it is not only sugar that attacks the teeth, but also acids, which are often present in drinks in particular. We are happy to advise you on a tooth-friendly diet and explain to your child what to look out for when eating, drinking and caring for their teeth.