We see children alongside the rest of the family, from the first tooth onwards. The aim at that age is not really the teeth. It is that your child ends up as an adult who does not dread the dentist, and almost everything we do at a children’s appointment is built around that.
We are at 115 Christopher Columbus Drive, Suite 200, two minutes from the Grove Street PATH. Call 201-425-8600 or request an appointment.
Being straight about what we are
Charming Smile Dental is a family practice. Dr. Singal is a general dentist and treats children as part of that, which covers the great majority of what children need: check-ups, cleanings, fluoride, sealants, fillings and advice.
A pediatric dentist is a different thing — a specialist who has done two or three additional years of training specifically in treating children, including those with complex medical needs and those who need treatment under general anaesthetic.
If your child needs that, we will say so and help you find the right person rather than attempting it here. Most children never do. We would rather you knew the distinction than assumed it.
When to bring them first
The guidance is by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing, whichever is sooner. That feels absurdly early to most parents, and it is not about finding problems in a one-year-old.
It is about three things: checking that everything is developing as it should, giving you practical advice at the point it is useful rather than after a problem has started, and — most of all — making the dental chair an ordinary, boring place before there is ever anything that needs doing.
A child whose first experience is an emergency at six with toothache learns something very different from a child who has been coming since they were one and has never had anything happen.
What a first visit is actually like
Short, and deliberately undemanding. For a toddler it is often a knee-to-knee examination with the child lying back on your lap facing us, which is far less intimidating than a big chair.
We count the teeth, look at how the bite is forming, show you how to brush a mouth that does not want to be brushed, and talk about bottles, cups, dummies and snacks. If your child will not open their mouth, that is a perfectly normal first visit, and we will not force it. Coming back in a few months having had a pleasant experience is worth more than a thorough examination that frightens them.
Older children get a proper examination, a clean, and x-rays only when there is a reason to take them.
Baby teeth matter more than people think
The commonest thing we hear is that they are going to fall out anyway. They do, but not for years, and in the meantime:
- Decay in a baby tooth hurts exactly as much as decay in an adult one, and abscesses in children can become serious quickly.
- Back baby teeth are not lost until around age ten to twelve. A tooth lost at five leaves a long time for the others to drift into the space, which crowds the adult tooth that was meant to come through there.
- Infection at the root of a baby tooth can damage the adult tooth forming directly beneath it.
- Toothache is a real cause of missed school and disturbed sleep.
Prevention, which is most of the job
Fluoride varnish
Painted onto the teeth in a minute or two, with no drilling and nothing uncomfortable. It strengthens enamel and is one of the best-evidenced things in dentistry. Usually applied at check-ups from around the time the first teeth arrive.
Sealants
The biting surfaces of back teeth have deep grooves that a toothbrush bristle is physically too wide to get into, which is where most children’s decay starts. A sealant is a thin coating flowed into those grooves to close them off. It is painless, needs no numbing, and is applied when the adult back teeth come through at around six and again at twelve.
The boring advice that works
- Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, a smear for under-threes and a pea for older children.
- You do the brushing until around age seven or eight. Let them have a go first, then you do it properly. Children do not have the dexterity before then, however capable they seem.
- Spit, do not rinse. Rinsing washes away the fluoride that was about to do the work.
- It is how often sugar appears, not how much. One dessert does less harm than a juice bottle sipped across an afternoon.
- Nothing but milk or water in a bottle, and never a bottle in bed.
- Watch the drinks most people think are healthy: fruit juice, smoothies and flavoured waters are both sugary and acidic.
An anxious child
Tell us when you book. It changes how we plan the appointment — more time, a slower start, letting them sit in the chair and go up and down before anything else happens.
Two things parents can do that help more than anything we do. Avoid promising it will not hurt, because if anything ever does, you have spent your credibility. Say that we will check their teeth and count them. And avoid words like needle, drill, pull and hurt, even in reassurance — children hear the noun, not the negative. We have our own vocabulary for all of it.
It also helps enormously if a nervous parent can keep their own feelings off their face. Children read you before they read us. If you dread dentists yourself, it is fine to tell us quietly, and we will take that into account.
If a tooth gets knocked out
This matters and the right answer is the opposite of what it is for adults. If a baby tooth is knocked out, do not try to put it back. Pushing it back into the socket can damage the adult tooth developing underneath.
If it is an adult tooth, hold it by the crown rather than the root, put it back in the socket if you can, or keep it in milk, and get to us within the hour. Either way, call 201-425-8600 and see what to do in a dental emergency.
Teenagers
The teenage years are when decay rates climb, because parents stop supervising brushing and independent snacking begins. It is also when crowding becomes obvious and when clear aligners become a conversation, and when wisdom teeth start to be worth keeping an eye on.
It is worth keeping the check-ups going through exactly the years teenagers are least interested in them.
Practicalities
We can usually arrange family appointments together so you are not making two trips. If you want to book a child’s first visit at the same time as your own check-up, say so and we will try to line them up.
Most PPO plans cover children’s check-ups, cleanings, fluoride and sealants well, often at a higher percentage than adult treatment. See the insurance and payment page. We do not take Medicaid, plans through the state, or DHMO and DMO plans.
Dr. Singal earned her Doctorate in Dental Surgery at the New York University College of Dentistry and is a mother of two, which is its own kind of qualification for the appointment where nobody wants to open their mouth. More about the practice.
We see families from across downtown Jersey City, including Grove Street, Hamilton Park, Van Vorst Park and Newport.
When should my child first see a dentist?
By the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth coming through, whichever is sooner. It is less about finding problems than about checking development, giving you advice while it is still useful, and making the dental chair an ordinary place before anything ever needs doing.
Are you a pediatric dentist?
No. We are a family practice and Dr. Singal is a general dentist who treats children as part of that, which covers most of what children need. A pediatric dentist is a specialist with two or three further years of training for complex cases and treatment under general anaesthetic. If your child needs that, we will tell you and help you find the right person.
Do baby teeth really matter if they fall out anyway?
Yes. Back baby teeth are not lost until around ten to twelve, decay in them hurts just as much, and infection at the root can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. A baby tooth lost early also lets the others drift into the gap, crowding the adult tooth meant to come through there.
What happens at a child’s first visit?
It is short and undemanding. Toddlers are often examined knee-to-knee, lying back on your lap rather than in the chair. We count the teeth, check the bite is forming properly, show you how to brush, and talk about bottles, snacks and dummies. If your child will not open their mouth, that is still a normal first visit.
At what age can my child brush their own teeth?
They can have a go early, but you should do the real brushing until around seven or eight. Younger children do not have the dexterity however capable they seem. Let them try first, then you finish the job properly.
What are sealants and does my child need them?
A thin coating flowed into the deep grooves on the biting surfaces of back teeth, where a toothbrush bristle is physically too wide to reach and where most children’s decay begins. It is painless and needs no numbing. Usually applied when the adult back teeth appear around six, and again around twelve.
My child is frightened of the dentist. What can I do?
Tell us when you book so we can allow more time and start slowly. Avoid promising it will not hurt, because you spend your credibility if it ever does, and avoid words like needle, drill and pull even in reassurance, as children hear the noun rather than the negative. If you are nervous yourself, tell us quietly; children read your face before they read ours.
My child knocked out a tooth. Should I put it back in?
Not if it is a baby tooth, because pushing it back can damage the adult tooth developing underneath. If it is an adult tooth, hold it by the crown, put it back in the socket if you can or keep it in milk, and get to us within the hour. Call us either way.