// A first smile, a lifelong habit

Paediatric Dentistry (Pedodontics) in Istanbul

Paediatric dentistry is the age-defined dental specialty that provides preventive and therapeutic oral care for infants and children through adolescence.

Ages 0–14Sedation & GAChild-only suite

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20primary teeth are complete by around age 3

1yrfirst dental visit, by the first tooth or first birthday

6yrsthe first permanent molar erupts (the “6-year molar”)

6mothe first primary tooth usually appears

// Our Approach

Milk teeth are never “just temporary.”

Primary teeth guide chewing, speech and, most of all, hold space for the permanent teeth forming beneath them.

A decayed or prematurely lost milk tooth is not a small matter: it can cause pain and infection, harm the permanent tooth germ underneath, and let neighbouring teeth drift into the gap, crowding the smile that is still to come.

So our work begins earlier than most families expect. The first session is rarely treatment; it is an introduction. Letting a child explore the chair, the light and the doctor’s voice is not wasted time; it is the treatment.

For us the first session is not treatment; it is an introduction.
Mosdent Paediatric Dentistry

// What We Do

Care that grows with your child

Preventive

Fluoride and fissure sealants stop decay before it starts; painless and quick.

Restorative

Fillings for milk-tooth decay; pulp (root) treatment and paediatric crowns for deeper cavities.

Space maintainers

When a milk tooth is lost early, a maintainer holds the space so the adult tooth erupts in line.

Sedation & GA

Conscious sedation for anxious or lengthy care, and general anaesthesia where truly indicated.

Children learning to brush teeth on a dental model

// Prevention

The kindest treatment is the one never needed

Fluoride

Professionally applied fluoride strengthens enamel and can arrest early, cavity-free decay before a drill is ever considered.

Fissure sealants

The deep grooves of the back molars are where a brush can’t reach. A thin flowing resin seals them shut; no numbing, no pain.

Diet & brushing

We gently coach families on snack frequency, the risk of falling asleep with a bottle, and brushing twice daily with a fluoride paste.

// The Journey

One smile, step by step

1 yrFirst visitA gentle meet-and-greet by the first tooth or first birthday.
2–3Habits formBrushing routine, fluoride, first preventive checks.
6First molarThe 6-year molar erupts; the moment for sealants.
7–12Mixed dentitionOrthodontic watch as baby and adult teeth trade places.

// A Gentle Experience

Told, shown, then done

We work by “tell–show–do”: every step is named in a child’s words, shown on a finger or a toy, and only then done. Nothing is a surprise, so nothing is frightening.

The room is designed for the child; the light, the sounds, the furniture and, above all, the doctor’s language. Parents are part of the team, and small wins are always celebrated.

A child smiling and waving in the dental chair at Mosdent

Children visiting Mosdent, holding their Mosdent bags

// School Visits

A first meeting that erases fear

We welcome nurseries into our clinic. Children meet the chair, the light and the dentist as a game, in a row and laughing. The first encounter is not treatment but discovery; by the time a real appointment comes, the place is already familiar and the fear is gone.

// FAQ

Questions parents ask

When should my child first see a dentist?

By the time the first tooth appears, or by the first birthday at the latest. An early, friendly visit builds comfort and catches risks before they become problems.

Do decayed milk teeth really need treatment, when they fall out anyway?

Yes. An untreated milk tooth can cause pain and infection, damage the permanent tooth forming beneath it, and, if lost early, lets other teeth drift, crowding the adult smile.

Does a fissure sealant hurt?

No. There is no drilling and no numbing. A flowing resin is painted into the grooves of the tooth and set with a light; it takes minutes.

My child is afraid of the dentist. How do you approach it?

The first session is an introduction, not treatment. We let the child explore the room and build trust first; that comfort is part of the care, not a delay to it.

Written by: Dr Ebru İmren · Medically reviewed by: Dr Ferit Kaval, PhD

// Quick answer

Paediatric dentistry covers the years from the primary dentition to the permanent one, and most of the work is preventive rather than restorative. In global modelling, untreated decay in deciduous teeth was the tenth most prevalent condition worldwide in 2010, affecting 621 million children, with prevalence peaking at age 6 (PubMed 25740856, drawn from 1,502,260 children aged 1 to 14 in 74 countries). A resin-based sealant on the biting surface of a permanent molar cut the odds of decay against no sealant at 24 months in children aged 5 to 10 (odds ratio 0.12, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.19, seven trials, 1,322 children evaluated, moderate-quality evidence; PubMed 28759120).

// Key takeaways

01What a sealant is worth rises with the child's caries risk. In the same Cochrane review, if 40% of control surfaces decayed over 24 months, the sealed group fell to 6.25% (95% CI 3.84 to 9.63), and if 16% decayed the sealed group fell to 5.2% (95% CI 3.13 to 7.37), across 38 trials and 7,924 children (PubMed 28759120).
02Whether a sealant beats a fluoride varnish is not settled. A Cochrane review of 11 trials covering 3,374 children aged five to ten found no reliable difference between the two at 24 to 36 months, while applying a sealant as well as a varnish worked better than varnish alone (odds ratio 0.30, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.55) on very low certainty evidence (PubMed 33142363). A quote listing one of them as clearly superior is going beyond the evidence.
03Losing a primary molar early does not leave a tidy gap; the neighbouring teeth drift into it. In a review of 11 studies covering 479 patients, fixed space maintainers such as the band and loop or the lingual arch were preferred over removable ones for long-term stability and lower risk of loss, with removable appliances treated as temporary and dependent on the child's cooperation (PubMed 39851607).
04This entry describes the child's own treatment pathway, and the split inside it runs between preventive work and restorative work. How the decay itself is arrested, and at what level of comfort treatment is delivered, is decided at the paediatric dentistry category level, so a first examination is booked before any treatment block is scheduled.

Pedodontics (Pediatric Dentistry) and how pedodontists care for children

Pedodontics is the branch of dentistry that aims to keep the milk and permanent teeth of children aged 0 to 13 healthy and functional, and to treat problems caused by decay, physical trauma, and hereditary or congenital factors.

It is a comprehensive branch that covers all dental treatments and delivers them in a way suited to children and young people.

A pedodontist (pediatric dentist) is a dentist who continued their education in a Department of Pedodontics after graduating from a Faculty of Dentistry.

What do pedodontists do?

Pedodontists can provide all dental treatments and preventive applications in a way adapted to the child patient:

Oral and Dental Care and Nutrition Recommendations
Child Prosthetics
Tooth extraction
Protective and Preventive Practices Against Tooth Decay: Fluoride Gel, Fluoride Varnish, Fissure Sealant
Treatment of Dental Traumas
Endodontic Treatments (Root Canal Treatments, Amputations)
Treatments to Stop Bad Mouth Habits (Finger Sucking, Nail Biting, Lip Biting, etc.)
Restorative Treatments (Fillings) in Milk and Young Permanent Teeth
Space Maintainers

They use examination and treatment techniques suited to children, which helps children not to fear the dentist.

They determine the child's caries risk group and provide protective and preventive applications (such as fissure sealants and topical fluoride).

They monitor jaw development and tooth eruption during growth, and aim to prevent possible tooth crowding with preventive orthodontic treatment.

Where permanent teeth are missing, they restore appearance and chewing with dentures.

They also provide dental treatment for children who need special care.

At a glance
Duration	Case-dependent
Materials Used	Child-friendly equipment

Dentist explaining with a jaw model to a child in the dental chair

Treatment Process

01Consultation: Initial examination and needs assessment; imaging where required.
02Treatment: Treatment per age and need (decay, sealants, prevention).
03Follow-up: Outcome review and aftercare guidance.

Consulting a pedodontist and planning the first dental examination

A child's oral health and first dental examination are central topics in pedodontics.

Why should I consult a pedodontist for my child's oral health?

Unlike adulthood, childhood is a period of rapid metabolism, growth and development. Similarly, the structure of deciduous teeth and newly erupting young permanent teeth is quite different from that of an adult tooth. For this reason, pedodontists are dentists with the most comprehensive knowledge of children's oral health.

When should my child's first dental examination be done?

It is recommended to have the first dental examination after the first tooth erupts (between 6 months and 1 year of age). An early examination is used to teach correct oral hygiene, adjust nutrition, and explain what to watch for to prevent caries, so that tooth decay can be prevented from infancy. With regular dental checks at the interval determined by your pedodontist, the foundations of decay-free and healthy teeth are laid in the long term.