Comprehensive dental care and regular visits to the pediatric dentist are important at every age—whether your child is a toddler, in preschool, at school, or a teenager. But what makes preventive care truly effective? What should parents watch for at each stage? How can you recognize chalky teeth? When should a child first see an orthodontist, and is teeth correction still possible in adulthood?
Here, you’ll find valuable information and plenty of tips for your family.
Babies & Toddlers
How can I prevent misalignment of the teeth and jaw?
Babies and toddlers love dummies, feeding bottles or, alternatively, their thumbs. When you see a cute baby with their dummy, who would ever think of a misaligned jaw or even the possibility of needing orthodontic treatment with braces as a teenager? In particular, playing with a dummy in the mouth or constantly pressing the teat against the front teeth can lead to malocclusion or jaw deformity later on.
To prevent jaw misalignment, babies should stop using a dummy from around the 9th or 10th month. From around this time, their natural urge to suck is replaced by a greater urge to chew. The older children get, the more they become accustomed to the soothing sensation of sucking. With a few playful tricks, weaning off the dummy can even be fun for little ones!
Weaning your child off the dummy is easier when you make it a game. With our dummy calendar or the stories about the Dummy Fairy, you can get the little ones on board and weaning can even be fun.
How can I help my baby when they’re teething?
Most babies start teething between the 6th and 8th month – some earlier, some later. Their cheeks are flushed and hot, and their gums are swollen and red. Many toddlers develop a fever or diarrhoea.
During this phase, most babies repeatedly put their own hands and any objects they can get hold of – naturally including dirty things – into their mouths. They chew on them to intuitively apply pressure to the affected areas.
Cool objects can provide relief: give your child a chilled teething ring (free from plasticisers) or firm vegetables from the fridge, such as kohlrabi or carrot sticks.
Why are healthy milk teeth so important?
You should start looking after your child’s dental hygiene as soon as their first milk tooth appears: milk teeth, even though they fall out after a few years, form the foundation for healthy permanent teeth. Milk teeth act as space maintainers and should be looked after as well as possible until the permanent teeth come through.
Fluoride is important and strengthens tooth enamel: until your child’s second birthday, their teeth should be brushed twice a day using a fluoride-containing children’s toothpaste and a children’s toothbrush with soft bristles. We will discuss with you in person whether systemic fluoride supplementation (e.g. in tablet form) is necessary.
For baby teeth, daily fluoride treatment using a rice-grain-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste is usually sufficient.
Why is the baby bottle harmful?
If a child drinks from a bottle several times a day, this provides a perfect breeding ground for bacteria! Almost any drink apart from water can cause tooth decay in milk teeth: milk, powdered drinks, sweetened tea, juice. When using a baby bottle or sippy cup, the front teeth are repeatedly exposed to sugary and/or acidic liquids, and saliva has little cleansing effect. Children who are weaned off the baby bottle at an early age have a significantly lower risk of tooth decay. Young children should therefore get used to drinking from a cup at an early age.
From the 8th month onwards, little ones are already able to drink from a cup.
When should you take your child to the paediatric dentist for the first time?
You should bring your child to our dental clinic, ‘Zahninsel’, as soon as their first tooth appears. At the first appointment, parents, baby and the paediatric dentist get to know one another. Usually, a quick look inside the mouth is enough to see if everything is fine. We’ll give you, as parents, tips on how to incorporate oral hygiene into your daily routine in a playful way and advise you on a diet that promotes healthy teeth.
As soon as your baby’s first milk tooth appears, we recommend taking them for their first visit to the paediatric dentist, so that your baby can get used to the routine at the paediatric dental surgery.
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Dentosophie: Was ist dran?
Was ist Dentosophie?
Dentosophie ist ein ganzheitlicher Ansatz in der Zahnmedizin, der nicht nur Zähne und Kiefer betrachtet, sondern auch Funktionen wie Atmung, Schlucken, Kauen und Zungenlage einbezieht. Ziel ist es, ungünstige Mund- und Kieferfunktionen früh zu erkennen und durch gezieltes Training positiv zu beeinflussen.
Der Begriff Dentosophie begegnet Eltern derzeit immer häufiger: in sozialen Medien, in Praxen und im Zusammenhang mit speziellen Behandlungskonzepten oder Geräten. Für Eltern ist oft schwer zu erkennen, was davon gut belegt ist und wo die Grenzen der Evidenz liegen. Das möchten wir für Sie einordnen.
Was gut belegt ist
Der Grundgedanke, Zähne und Kiefer nicht isoliert zu betrachten, ist richtig und keineswegs neu. Er gehört längst zur modernen Kinderzahnheilkunde und Kieferorthopädie. Für die Entwicklung von Kiefer, Gebiss und Zahnstellung spielen funktionelle Faktoren eine wichtige Rolle:
Nasen- oder Mundatmung
Schluckmuster und Zungenfunktion
Lippen- und Wangenmuskulatur (die Muskulatur von Mund und Gesicht)
Kauverhalten
Gewohnheiten wie Schnuller, Daumenlutschen oder Lippenbeißen
Auffälligkeiten in diesen Bereichen können die Entwicklung von Kiefer und Gebiss beeinflussen. Deshalb schauen wir bei Kindern nicht nur auf einzelne Zähne, sondern immer auch auf Funktion und Entwicklung. Entscheidend ist die genaue Diagnose: Nicht jede Auffälligkeit hat dieselbe Ursache, und nicht jedes Kind braucht dieselbe Therapie.
Wo die Evidenz endet
Zurückhaltend sollte man dort werden, wo aus funktionellen Zusammenhängen weitergehende Wirkversprechen abgeleitet werden, etwa zu Körperhaltung, Konzentration, Schlaf, allgemeiner Gesundheit oder psychischem Wohlbefinden. Für solche Aussagen gibt es derzeit keine vergleichbar belastbare wissenschaftliche Grundlage.
Wir unterscheiden deshalb zwischen
medizinisch gut belegten Zusammenhängen,
plausiblen funktionellen Beobachtungen und
Aussagen, für die ausreichende wissenschaftliche Belege fehlen.
Dass einzelne Bestandteile eines Konzepts sinnvoll oder untersucht sind, belegt noch nicht automatisch das ganze Konzept.
Unser Ansatz: ganzheitlich und evidenzbasiert
In der Zahninsel achten wir auf Atmung, Zungenlage, Schluckmuster, Muskulatur, Gewohnheiten sowie auf die Entwicklung von Kiefer und Gebiss. Bei Auffälligkeiten behandeln wir nicht nach festem Schema, sondern klären zuerst die Ursache und entscheiden dann, welche Therapie für das einzelne Kind sinnvoll ist.
Da Kinderzahnheilkunde und Kieferorthopädie bei uns Hand in Hand arbeiten, können beide fachlichen Perspektiven direkt in die Beurteilung einfließen. Wenn nötig, beziehen wir zusätzlich Logopädie oder HNO-Heilkunde mit ein.
Gute Therapie ist nicht automatisch eine Zusatzleistung
Eine funktionell ausgerichtete Behandlung bedeutet nicht, dass spezielle, privat zu bezahlende Geräte oder Zusatzleistungen nötig sind. Für viele Befunde gibt es bewährte diagnostische und therapeutische Möglichkeiten, zum Beispiel kieferorthopädische Maßnahmen, funktionelle Therapie, Logopädie oder die Abklärung durch andere Fachrichtungen.
Am Anfang steht deshalb immer die Frage: Was braucht dieses Kind medizinisch wirklich? Die Therapie ergibt sich aus der Diagnose, nicht aus der Zugehörigkeit zu einem Behandlungskonzept.
Sie sind unsicher, ob Ihr Kind betroffen ist?
Sprechen Sie uns bei der nächsten Kontrolle an oder vereinbaren Sie einen Termin. Wir schauen genau hin und beraten Sie ehrlich, auch dazu, was Ihr Kind nicht braucht.