• What is Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF)

It is a clear antimicrobial liquid containing silver and fluoride applied on the decayed portion of a tooth with the help of a small sterile brush.

•  How does Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) work

The silver component in the SDF is antimicrobial that kills the active bacteria responsible for tooth decay and prevents further growth of bacteria in that lesion.

The fluoride component in SDF is very high causing effective remineralization thereby arrest the decayed lesion and prevent further decay.

•  Is SDF application a painless procedure

Yes ! SDF application is a completely painless procedure demanding least cooperation from the child.

Application of SDF doesn’t require any specific armamentarium.

The entire procedure is quick requiring only couple of minutes for completion.

•  Is SDF application beneficial in Early Childhood Caries

Early childhood caries appears at a very young age of 1-3 yrs. At that age cooperation of the baby for a restorative care is unimaginable. However, the process of decay needs to be paused. During such situations use of SDF can be helpful.

Since the entire procedure is painless, age and cooperation ability of the baby doesn’t affect the procedure.

• Is SDF application helpful in children with special health needs :

Yes ! In children with special health need and limited cooperation ability SDF serves as a prime antimicrobial & remineralizing agent to combat early tooth decay.

This not only reduces further need of complicated treatment for the child but provides psychological assurance to the parents.

•  Note:

SDF can’t be used in advanced decay cases where there is : continuous pain/swelling or abscess. SDF is applicable for asymptomatic teeth

The esthetic appearance following SDF application could be a concern for many parents as it appears dark black due to the silver component hence prior to carrying out this procedure we make sure to have a clear discussion with parents and take informed consent for the same.

• What is ART

Few cases of dental decay require both remineralization and restoration to serve better & survive longer in the oral cavity.

In such cases following SDF application either a suitable restoration/filling is placed, or a full coverage crown is placed based on the condition of the existing tooth.

•  Procedure of ART

As the procedure is atraumatic restorative therapy, we want to assure parents that the entire procedure is going to be painless for the child and atraumatic( no drilling) for the tooth.

We prefer doing SMART procedure in 2-3 appointments in order to obtain effective remineralization of the decayed lesion.

• What is Hall’s technique?

Not every decayed tooth requires conventional tooth preparation ( cutting of tooth structure) for a crown to be placed. Since we practice Minimally Invasive Pediatric Dentistry we prefer to repair the decayed part and preserve the remaining tooth structure as it is.

By means of Hall’s technique we avoid unnecessary drilling and place elastic separators in between adjacent teeth to create minimum gap for the crown to be placed comfortably.

This technique is commonly applicable for molar/back teeth.

•  What are the benefits of Hall’s technique?

Since the technique involves no drilling, it is appropriate for young, anxious, fearful and uniquely abled ( special) children with less cooperation ability.

Crowns placed with hall’s technique completely covers the treated tooth thereby protects the entire tooth from bacterial attack and further damage thereby reduces the chances of repeated failure.

• Resin Infiltration is a simple, effective, micro-invasive procedure for treating white spot lesions early in early childhood decay and molar incisor hypomineralization condition.
•  This procedure is painless, and there is no use of anesthesia; therefore, patient cooperation is not a concern.
•  Compared to teeth whitening, Resin infiltration provides comparatively long-term benefit in terms of removal or lightening of the white spot lesion or hypo mineralized appearance.