Nick A Prater

AAPD Explores Alternative Ways to Host 2021 Annual Session

A member of the American Academy of Laser Dentistry, Dr. Nick A. Prater is a former associate staff at Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City, where he supervised residents and ensured the safety of children who received dental care. Dr. Nick A. Prater has over four decades of experience in pediatric dentistry, devoting his expertise to training new dentists in various procedures, especially orthodontic treatments. He also attends the American Academy of Pediatric Dentist (AAPD) annual sessions and events regularly.

A dynamic four-day event arranged to offer continuing learning to the largest audience of pediatric dentists in the United States, the AAPD annual session represents one of the largest assemblies of dentists in the country. The meeting involves educational sessions geared toward various levels of professionals, from career starters to seasoned professionals.

While the AAPD leadership and staff intend to hold the meeting on May 27 through 30 in 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts, consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic and safety of attendees has necessitated the preparation of health safety protocols before the meeting. The leadership and staff emphasized that the health and safety of vendors, guests, members, staff, and exhibitors remain their top priority. At the time of this writing, all options are being explored, including a hybrid meeting (a combination of virtual and in-person) and a completely virtual experience. Further updates will be released on their website, annual.aapd.org.

Health and Wellness Issues Associated with Tongue Tie

A pediatric dentist with a career that spans four decades, Dr. Nick A. Prater treats patients out of offices in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe. Among his other areas of expertise, Dr. Nick A. Prater is adept at tongue tie procedures.

If left untreated, tongue tie can cause a wide range of problems at various levels of patient development. Because infants must keep their tongues over their lower gums while breastfeeding, the short tongues associated with tongue tie can cause significant nutritional problems immediately after birth. Likewise, the mothers of breastfeeding newborns can experience painful and injured nipples.

As children grow, tongue tie can lead to difficulties in chewing, choking, and maintaining proper oral hygiene. It is also associated with delayed speech development and persistent speech problems, as well as specific activities such as kissing and playing a wind instrument. Aging into adulthood, tongue tie patients may begin to experience a whole host of undesirable symptoms, ranging from painful and clicking jaws to difficulty keeping dentures in place.

How Laser Dentistry Is Used to Treat Lip and Tongue Ties

Dr. Nick A. Prater has been a pediatric dentist for over 40 years and has dedicated his career to helping children along with training orthodontists. As part of this work, Dr. Nick A. Prater has treated over 5000 children with lip and tongue ties, and he often uses laser dentistry in these procedures.

If a child has a lip or tongue tie, it means that their lip or tongue is attached too tightly, limiting the movement of the lip or tongue. This can keep a baby from latching properly while breastfeeding, and it can also cause long-term problems with speech and tooth decay. For many years these procedures were done with regular surgical instruments, but in recent decades lasers have been the tool of choice for dental surgeons.

Laser dentistry is much less invasive and causes less discomfort than traditional surgical methods for lip and tongue ties. In the case of tongue ties, instead of using a scalpel to cut the frenulum (the tissue that attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth) to allow greater tongue movement, a laser is used to quickly and easily do the job. This typically causes much less bleeding and discomfort, and also results in a much quicker healing process. As the mouth has efficient regenerative abilities, mouth exercises should be done consistently after this procedure to ensure the tie does not re-heal.

Continuing Education with the Academy of Laser Dentistry

A pediatric dentist in Olathe, Kansas, Dr. Nick A. Prater has successfully treated more than 4,000 pediatric patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Dr. Nick A. Prater maintains membership in professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Academy of Laser Dentistry.

Dedicated to oral health through laser technology, the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD) works to bring laser dentistry to the forefront of dental medicine through various educational programs. The certified, international, postgraduate educational program in laser dentistry, for example, is a 26-day program that covers topics such as multi-wavelength lasers, photobiomodulation, and clinical practice in interdisciplinary dentistry. Additionally, the accredited program addresses the application of lasers in pedodontics, endodontics, and esthetic dentistry.

The comprehensive curriculum is supported by clinical seminars and hands-on practice using models and animal heads. Eligible for accredited continual professional development (CPD) hours, the program is open to any licensed dentist and member of ALD. For more information about program content and requirements, visit www.laserdentistry.org.

Possible Complication of Untreated Tongue Tie

A pediatric dentist with more than four decades of experience, Dr. Nick A. Prater has treated more than 4,000 pediatric patients in an operating setting. A member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Nick A. Prater is particularly experienced in performing lip and tongue tie procedures on infants.

A condition that restricts the movement of the tongue, a tongue tie refers to the thick or tight band of skin that attaches the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. While some tongue ties do not cause problems, others require interventions in order to prevent serious complications. For example, when a tongue tie interferes with an infant’s breastfeeding, it can both restrict milk intake and cause pain for the mother, ultimately contributing to an infant’s failure to thrive.

For toddlers, an untreated tongue can cause speech difficulties with particular consonants, in addition to contributing to poor oral hygiene. Children and even adults with tongue ties often have difficulty clearing food debris from their teeth, which can lead to tooth decay and gingivitis.

Free, Fun Resources from the AAPD’s Mouth Monster Hub

A graduate of the University of Missouri with a master’s degree in pediatric dentistry, Dr. Nick A. Prater performs laser dental procedures on babies, children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Nick A. Prater maintains membership with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Established in 1947, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting and advancing oral health for children. In addition to advocating for children’s health and promoting evidence-based policies, the AAPD offers educational resources to help parents guide their children in developing healthy habits. The organization’s online Mouth Monster Hub, for example, provides helpful information on topics such as dealing with Halloween candy, establishing a brushing and flossing routine, and the importance of dental x-rays for kids.

The Monster Mouth Hub also provides fun oral health activities for children to work on at home, including printable stories and word puzzles, and offers recommendations to help children create a playlist of music to listen to while brushing their teeth.

Tongue-Tie – Complications

Doctor with a stethoscope in the hands and hospital background Free Photo

A pediatric dentist who earned his DDS at the University of Missouri, Dr. Nick A. Prater is a former associate staff member at Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City. For over 15 years, Dr. Nick A. Prater has successfully treated lip and tongue-ties using dental lasers.

Also known as ankyloglossia, tongue-tie is a condition where the bottom of the tip of the tongue remains attached to the floor of the mouth by a band of tissues called lingual frenulum after birth. Normally, the lingual frenulum separates before birth. If the tissue fails to separate, it restricts the natural movement of the tongue. Tongue-tie occurs more frequently in boys than girls.

In some cases, tongue-tie may cause no significant problems. However, the condition can result in breastfeeding problems when affected babies are unable to move their tongue above the lower gum while sucking, and it can also interfere with an infant’s ability to make certain sounds properly, leading to speech difficulties. In older children or adults, tongue-tie may cause food debris to stick to the gums and teeth, contributing to inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) and tooth decay. It can be corrected with surgery.