Children’s Dentistry

Overview

Routine dental cleanings and exams every six months are important for your child to maintain good oral hygiene as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Daily home care is a vital part in keeping your child’s teeth healthy and creating healthy habits. Home care should start as early as birth, starting with gently cleansing a babies’ gums to brushing gently with a fluoride free gel as teeth emerge. As your child grows a fluoride toothpaste can be used.

Diet plays an important role in your child’s dental health. Sugary drinks and excessive amounts of candy are never good for developing teeth and can cause painful tooth decay and sometimes premature tooth loss.

Cavities can start at very young ages. To help prevent decay:

• No bottle after the age of one.
• Do not allow your child to sleep with a bottle or sippy cup
• Limit the amount of juice, soda, and candy
• Healthy snacks
• Help your child brush their teeth twice a day until they are able to brush well enough on their own

Dental exams and cleanings consist of:

• Scaling of any plaque or tartar that may have built up on the teeth
• Polishing with a child friendly flavored paste
• Fluoride varnish applied with a child friendly flavor with no waiting to eat or drink afterwards
• X-rays at the discretion of the dentist
• Dental sealants applied as needed
• Proof of Dental Examination forms filed out as needed
• Determination the start of orthodontics

Dental Sealants

When teeth are developing, depressions and grooves form in the chewing surfaces of the enamel, they are called pits and fissures. The pits and fissures are snug places for food particles to get caught which causes bacteria to form and stay. A sealant is a clear shaded plastic material that is applied to the chewing surfaces of the back permanent teeth, where decay occurs most often. The sealant acts as a barrier, protecting the decay-prone areas of the teeth.