Pedodontics

“Freehold Family Dental is a long established dental group that provides care for your whole family. Our practice provides care in general dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics and pediatric dentistry. My name is Dr. Jeff (Podowitz) and I am a pediatric dentist. We are the “pediatricians” of dentistry. I have had two years of specialty training following dental school and I treat only children through adolescence.”

      Primary teeth are important because they help children chew naturally and form a path that permanent teeth follow when they are ready to erupt. You can prevent decay caused by nursing by avoiding nursing a child to sleep or putting anything other than water in their bedtime bottle. Tooth care should start at birth. As soon as teeth begin to erupt, start brushing twice daily. Use a smear of fluoridated toothpaste to brush the teeth of a child less than two years of age. For the two through five years old, dispense a pea size amount of toothpaste and perform or assist you child’s tooth brushing. Remember that your children do not have the ability to brush their teeth effectively.

      When the permanent molars erupt I recommend sealants. They help protect the occlusion surfaces of these teeth by filling in the crevices on the chewing surfaces of the teeth, This shuts out food particles that could get caught in the teeth, creating cavities. The application of sealants is fast and comfortable.