Preventive Dentistry
STRONG, HEALTHY, BRIGHT GRINS
We may call this dentistry “general” but there really isn’t anything general about it: This is dentistry specifically designed to keep your youngster’s smile strong, healthy, and bright for life. We know that no matter how careful you are with their health and well-being, you can’t always prevent problems on your own. The sad fact is that tooth decay remains the most common chronic disease among children ages 5-17 – over 50% of the United States’ children are affected by it!
That’s why we are here to work with caring parents just like you as a smile team, examining, protecting, and preventing every step of the way.
FROM THE FIRST TOOTH AND ON THROUGH COLLEGE
We can help growing smiles stay on track. Regular visits for exams and cleanings are a vital part of prevention. So is protecting precious teeth with sealants to fill cavity-prone grooves and obtaining mouthguards for kids involved in sports or who grind or clench at night.
We are also here to help guide you with home-care instructions and dietary tips; and if you ever have any questions, we are here to answer and support you with a smile. You can prevent problems right at home with simple steps such as offering cool, pure water instead of acidic or sugary drinks, especially between meals, and especially never in a bottle or sippy cup that your child carries around. Constant exposure to anything but water leaves enamel open to continuous attack from those cavity bugs, and no one wants that!
Early
intervention
Before teeth are even in, you can start gently brushing gums to clear away bacteria and help your child associate tooth brushing with a pleasant experience. If you have older children, bring your youngest children along to their visits so they feel at home once teeth have come in and it is time to protect them with dental sealants, regular exams, and our super-gentle cleanings. Establishing a good dental care routine could be the beginning of a lifetime of smiles.
And don’t forget, our gentle, friendly approach makes every visit a snap for both parents and kids!
Comprehensive Exams
We know: You are a great parent! You love your children and watch their growth and progress like a hawk. So you probably think you know exactly what is happening in your child’s mouth; you are the one helping them with brushing and flossing, after all. The truth is, a lot of things could be going on in there that can’t be seen with an untrained eye.
- There could be teeth that are not erupting in the proper place.
- There could be cavity bugs.
- There could be infections.
- There could be jaw or bite problems developing!!
X-Rays
Teeth. They let us chew and smile and speak. But, because they are covered in opaque enamel, we can’t always see what is happening inside of them. The same goes for what’s happening under the surface in those tiny gums and jawbones! That’s when pediatric dental X-rays come into play. Dental X-rays are really cool, especially the wonderful, new digital kind! Digital X-rays:
- Let us get an image of the inside of your child's developing mouth.
- Allow us to immediately see any changes or problems.
- Are safer than standard X-rays.
- Are able to be shown to you instantly, so you and your child can finally see exactly what is happening under the surface.
We also offer panoramic X-rays. These digital X-rays are great for helping us get a total overview of your child’s head, neck, oral cavity, and jaw. Panographic X-rays do not require any film or any other device to be placed in the mouth. Instead, the panoramic digital X-rays stay outside of your child’s mouth and move around their head. The image produced lets us check the position of wisdom teeth, look for things like infection and abscess, and even check on your child’s sinus cavity. We find that the panoramic’s best use is simply to monitor the development of the teeth. It also gives us a good indication of when to refer to an orthodontist for treatment.
Cleanings
No matter how careful you are, no matter how well you help or monitor your child with brushing and flossing, home dental hygiene can’t replace your regular professional cleaning. Even when your children spend their full two minutes brushing in the morning and night, there could be lingering food particles or sugary liquids that feed bacteria. Medications like cough syrup can also feed those cavity bugs. Once that bacterial film, otherwise known as plague, gets a foothold on teeth, it can turn into tartar, the hard crust that is so difficult to get off and leads to gum disease and cavities. Cavity prevention is really important, even in baby teeth. Even though those baby teeth will eventually come out, an infection in a baby tooth can:
- Affect the teeth developing underneath.
- Lead to pain and discomfort.
- Cause inflammation in the entire body.
Fluoride Treatments
You know it is in toothpaste and sometimes in mouth rinses, but do you really know what fluoride is and what it does? We do! Fluoride is:
- A naturally-occurring mineral compound well known for its ability to fight tooth decay.
- It is also a tooth strengthener because it remineralizes teeth!!
Sealants
While your child is growing and developing, their teeth can become very prone to develop cavities if not properly cared for. One way that Buckeye Pediatric Dentistry can help fight this is with dental sealants. This thin "film" or layer can be applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth, especially the rear teeth, to help prevent decay. It acts as a barrier to food particles finding their way into the grooves of their teeth.
