Dental Exams
During a dental exam, we will examine your child’s teeth and gums, then clean their teeth and check for cavities and/or signs of gum disease. The exam will help in assessing your child’s risk of developing other oral problems and checking their face, neck and mouth for abnormalities. A dental exam might also include dental X-rays (radiographs) or other diagnostic procedures for your child. Regular dental exams are a critical part of preventive oral health care.
Regular dental exams help protect not just your child’s oral health, but also their overall health. For instance, signs and symptoms of some systemic diseases, may show up in the mouth first. If we find symptoms of disease, we may suggest that you see your doctor.
Also, the exam gives us at Forever Smiles Dental, a chance to provide tips on caring for your child’s teeth and to detect oral health problems such as: oral thrush, mouth ulcers, oral herpes (cold sores), tooth abscesses, cellulitis, mucoceles, eruption cysts, chalky teeth etc. early, when they're most treatable.
What to expect during an exam
During a dental exam, we will:
- Assess your child’s overall health and oral hygiene.
- Assess your child’s need for tooth restoration or replacement.
- Assess your child’s risk of tooth decay, gum or bone disease, and root decay.
- Remove stains and deposits on your child’s teeth.
- Check your child’s mouth, bite and jaw for any problems.
- Assess your child’s need for fluoride.
- Teach you and your child, proper cleaning techniques for their teeth.
- If necessary, do other diagnostic procedures.
Dental Cleanings
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.
Sealants
Sealants are highly effective in preventing tooth decay and cavities on your molars and premolars. These areas are the most susceptible to cavities due to the
anatomized grooves. Typically, children get sealants on their permanent molars and premolars as soon as these teeth come in. These sealants can protect the
teeth through the cavity-prone years of ages 6 to 14. However, adults without decay or fillings in their molars can also benefit from sealants. Sealants act as a barrier and protect the enamel from plaque and acids. They may last for several years before a reapplication is needed. As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from decay. Sealants are not a substitute for brushing your teeth. It is important to maintain proper oral hygiene and keep up with professional dental cleanings. Also, sealants do not protect between the teeth, so it is essential to continue to floss daily.
Dental Radiographs
Dental X-rays are very important form instrument that we use at Forever Smile Dental, to track how your child’s teeth develop and to look for signs of decay and other diseases. Exposing your child to radiation from an X-ray is never your
first choice, but X-rays can be valuable diagnostic tools, and we might recommend
that your child gets an X-ray done, to diagnose any dental needs.
Deciding to have your child take an X-ray may be difficult, but that is why we are here at Forever Smiles Dental, to explain to you x-ray guidelines and procedures, so that you can make an informed decision.
Why should your child get an X-ray.
We won't normally recommend an X-ray, unless we have done a dental exam and still have some unanswered questions about your child's teeth or oral health.
This can be the case, because there are areas in your child's mouth that we can't see during a regular dental exam, areas like inside the teeth and under the gums. That is where dental X-rays can come in handy.
Some situations where we might recommend an X-ray:
- To look for abnormalities like tumors and cysts.
- To check for preliminary development of wisdom teeth.
- To check for early signs of tooth decay.
- To check for any teeth that is unable to emerge from the gums (lmpacted).
- To check if there is room in your child's mouth for all incoming teeth.
- To check and see if your child is losing primary teeth quickly enough, to make room for their permanent teeth.