Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands

When your baby’s teeth first begin to come in and you notice that gap between their teeth when they smile, the family may coo that it’s cute. "However, it is very important that if your child has a gap in their teeth due to a maxillary frenum, or another reason, that it be corrected," says pediatric dentist Dr. Cameron Fuller. Your child’s education, speech and self-confidence is dependent upon it being corrected at an early age.             As your child gets older they are working on saying certain sounds. Children who are younger than five should be developing the ability to say all of the sounds. After five if these sounds are not solidified it will make it much more difficult for them to learn to correctly speak. “And by age seven if the sounds are not correct they run the risk of never being able to say them correctly,” says Dr. Cameron Fuller . By age five and six your child should be able to say their S’s and R’s correctly which are some of

          If for any reason your child was given an atheistic they should avoid running around for a short time after the surgery. They may have a little bleeding and will need to keep the area clean. Your child may be given some gauze to stop the bleeding, but   they may not need to use it.             If your child had a frenectomy on the upper lip then they should try and avoid eating hard foods.   Encourage them to keep food away from the area as much as possible. "If they have surgery on the lower frenum underneath the tongue, the next day have them practice sticking out their tongue and moving the tongue around," suggests Dr. Cameron Fuller.             Your child should not rinse with anything the day after the surgery and should avoid drinking with a straw.   However, they can gently brush their teeth.             Some bruising is normal and so you may notice the area has black and blue spots. No need to panic this should hea

Dr. Fuller and his team want your family and your child to be as comfortable as possible if you choose to have a frenum removed. During the surgery, if a stuffed animal or a different toy will help calm them, they can hold onto that. There is also a television in the treatment room in order for your child to focus on something other than the surgery.    You are able to stay in the room with your child while the surgery is occurring.   Depending on the age of your baby or child, Dr. Cameron Fuller may suggest that you hold them while the surgery is being performed.   A big bear hug may help to calm down your child and will help stabilize them in order to conduct the laser surgery.     Pediatric dentist, Dr. Fuller will apply a topical anesthetic in order to numb the area and then he will use a laser that sends pulses to the site without actually touching the area. A topical anesthetic may be applied in order to numb the area. The su

Before your child has surgery at Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands and Associates a complete oral exam will be done. During the exam Dr. Cameron Fuller will determine the thickness of the frenum as well as the location. Once the exam is completed Dr. Fuller will explain to you the procedure he will be conducting, explain how the laser works and handle any extra pre-surgery requirements.   Your baby should wear comfortable clothing and not eat right before the surgery is to be conducted,” says Dr. Fuller.   For younger children if they are supposed to take a nap you may want to schedule the surgery before their nap or after in order to not disrupt their sleep routine and give them time to eat a snack and allow the food to digest. During the oral exam you want your baby as comfortable as possible. You may want to bring something that soothes them, for example a blanket. The oral exam should not take an extensive amount of time but this is a grea

Maxillary frenum or tongue-tie surgery can now be safely treated with a laser. Dr. Fuller and his team will complete a through oral exam in order to determine what type of procedure is necessary. Dr. Cameron Fuller, pediatric dentist at Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands and Associates , and his team can perform the surgery on babies that are two days old or older.   Midwives used to have a long nail that would snip the frenum after a baby was born. Lucky for parent’s technology is more advanced and a simple laser can be utilized to provide the necessary fix.             When a laser is used there is multiple benefits. Tongue-tie or frenum is a thick piece of skin that attaches the upper lip to the gums. Sometimes babies are born with one that is thicker and it pulls the gums tighter then they should be. It may push between the two front teeth widening the space. If the space becomes too wide it can cause a speech delay later on and it may cause the gums t

                       A maxillary frenum has an indirect effect on your babies’ ability to sleep. Newborn to six months old your baby needs about sixteen to twenty hours of sleep per day.   They should be waking about every two hours to eat. By six months they should be sleeping about ten to twelve hours and then be awake to eat. Babies who are impacted by a maxillary frenum or tongue-tie, a thicker piece of skin attaching their gums to the inside of the lip or a piece of skin between their two front teeth may be eating less. An incorrect latch onto the breast when feeding allows an increase of air to enter the babies’ tummy.             According to Dr. Cameron Fuller pediatric dentist at Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands and Associates , “if your baby is not eating enough then they will wake up more often to eat.”   Babies who do not get adequate sleep may suffer from several negative effects. They may become inconsolable and fussy for long periods of time making i

        When babies have tongue-tie , or a maxillary frenum , it can impact her ability to correctly latch on when breastfeeding. Your baby will adjust when latching on by using her lips to grasp around the nipple. The correct position for breastfeeding does not allow for air to seep into the side of her mouth. However, when she is just using her lips she has an O shape that will cause large amounts of air to be gulped in instead of the nutrition that she needs to thrive. This latch increases air into your child’s stomach. "More air triggers a reaction where she may think she is full but is not," says pediatric dentist, Dr. Cameron Fuller . On average she should be gaining between five to nine ounces a week. After she is first born she is going to loose between five to nine percent of her original birth weight. It is critical for her to immediately be able to nurse correctly in order to put the weight back on.   In month five through ei

Children that are born with a maxillary frenum, a thick piece of skin that attaches the gum to the inside of their lip may need surgery. However, when they are first born the doctor may suggest you wait. Depending on the thickness and whether there is a problem with breastfeeding your doctor might insist that this is nothing to worry about. Dr. Cameron Fuller suggests, “having a consultation with a pediatric dentist in order to determine if surgery is necessary.”      While you may find that all of this is overwhelming with a supportive team and a dentist that knows what he is doing they will be able to explain the process and help your family to feel more comfortable.  At Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands and Associates, Dr.Fuller and his team will walk you through the procedure step by step in parent friendly terms. Dr. Fuller understands how important it is for you to feel comfortable before the surgery can be completed. He will complete a full oral exam in o

Is your baby up all night? Colic, crying and seems inconsolable? When your baby is breastfeeding, is it painful, uncomfortable or feels wrong? Dr. Cameron Fuller and his team at Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands suggests you bring your infant in for a quick oral exam. Many times he will notice the frenulum, a thick piece of skin that attaches the skin of the upper and bottom lip to the gums, is not quite right.             Sometimes when babies are born they have a thicker piece of skin that attaches incorrectly. Left untreated, this could cause speech delays and other harmful challenges later on, initially though it can create an inability to latch on to the breast during breastfeeding. When a baby is unable to latch on correctly they suck in air. Air in their stomach leads to a distended belly, more flatulence and more belching according Dr. Cameron Fuller . “If the baby has a maxillary lip tie then they may adjust when feeding by using the lips only, thi

        When your baby is first born it should be the happiest time of your life. You lay in the hospital room and cuddle. The sweet smell of baby is upon you. Then that moment arrives where you are going to breastfeed your baby. When your infant latches on something isn’t quite right. It hurts. The baby isn’t feeding correctly and your doctor comes in and tells you they have a maxillary frenulum. A what? You ask.             A maxillary frenulum is an extra thick piece of skin that attaches the roof of your mouth to the gums. Sometimes individuals have one that is thicker and goes between the front teeth while others have one that is shorter and attaches the roof of the mouth closer to the teeth.             Questions start flooding your mind. What are you supposed to do now? Will this hurt the baby? Will they need surgery? Dr. Cameron Fuller and his team at Pediatric Dentistry of Redlands are there to support you and your family through this