Your child's routine dental cleanings are as important as yours, they may even be more important for your child, as they start to learn the importance and benefits of good oral hygiene from when they are young.
A lot of future issues can be prevented by professional dental cleanings (Prophylaxis) of your child’s teeth, and they allow us monitor the oral health of your child and help eliminate the build-up of plagues on your child's teeth.
During your child’s cleaning appointment at Forever Smiles Dental, your child gets a complete teeth and gum examination, along with:
- Plaque removal: Plaque is a sticky film that coats teeth, which contains bacteria, food debris and saliva. If dental plaque isn't removed when it's soft, it hardens and becomes difficult to remove. Dental plaque can damage a tooth and lead to tooth decay or tooth loss.
- Tartar removal: Tartar, also called dental calculus, is a yellow or brown colored deposit that forms when plaque hardens on your teeth. Over time, if plaque isn’t removed on a regular basis, minerals from your saliva are deposited into the plaque biofilm causing it to harden, and turning into tartar. Because tartar buildup on teeth is strongly bonded to the tooth enamel, it can only be removed by a dental professional like us.
- Tooth polishing: We may polish your child’s teeth professionally to remove any remaining stains, and to smoothen the teeth surfaces to make them glossy and lustrous. Tooth polishing is a procedure that may be carried out as a part of oral prophylaxis, depending on your child’s need, tooth polishing will be done selectively.
- Fluoride treatment: Depending on your child’s teeth condition, fluoride treatment may be recommended. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by making the tooth more resistant to acid attacks from plaque bacteria and sugars in the mouth. It also reverses early decay.
- Other potential steps: Professional teeth cleanings are scheduled twice a year. Still, depending on what we at Forever Smiles Dental observes in your child’s mouth, we might do other exams during your visit. Whether your child needs any additional steps or not, the key is to keep coming back for regular teeth cleanings to prevent problems altogether. By understanding what’s going on in advance, you’ll feel more at ease, and maybe your child may even look forward to these appointments.