Preventative Dental Care
Preventative dental care is extremely important to your child’s oral health.The most common chronic disease in children is tooth decay, but the good news is that it’s preventable. This is why our doctors and staff put an emphasis on preventative dental care. This includes regular dental checkups and good oral health routines at home. Our goal is to keep your child’s teeth healthy and clean for a lifetime of healthy and beautiful smiles.
Baby teeth play an important role in your child’s oral health and development, and while they may not keep them forever, they require the same care as permanent teeth. We believe that helping your child develop good oral hygiene habits while they are young will provide them with health benefits that last through their teen years and even adulthood.
It is recommended that children begin dental checkups when their first teeth come in, or around age 1, and continue to see their dentist every 6 months. Children’s Dental Center provides a comfortable and fun environment to begin this journey. Our pediatric dentists and team members have extensive experience with children to help dental visits be a positive experience for your child from infancy through their teenage years.
We work with children to teach them what they can do to keep their smiles healthy, including healthy diet and proper brushing and flossing techniques. We also work with parents to help them in recognizing some of the common dental issues children face.
Preventative Dental Checkups
For very young children, we allow them to sit on their parent’s lap while our pediatric dentist does an examination. These early appointments help the children to become comfortable with our office, our staff and what to expect at a dental appointment. As the children become older, we allow them to come back to their very own chair where they can watch movies with the other children while we clean their teeth to remove any plaque or build up that may cause cavities. We recommend applying a topical fluoride in order to protect their teeth and make them more resistant to decay. We recommend digital x-rays yearly in order to view the health of the teeth where the visible eye cannot see. Our pediatric dentists will do a thorough examination of the teeth and gums. We will review any advice or concerns with the child and/or parent, and be available to answer any questions you may have. When a child’s permanent molars come in, we recommend placing dental sealants on the chewing surfaces of those teeth to help prevent decay in the hard to clean grooves of the molars.