Prevention Matters a Lot When It Comes to Your Child’s Oral Health

Preventive dentistry for kids

When it comes to our kids, there are so many things we do to protect them. We do everything possible to keep them safe, we take precautionary steps to keep them from getting sick, and we ensure they get plenty of sleep to have a productive day at school. While all those things are important for your child’s health and overall well-being, one thing is missing: protecting your child’s oral health. Read on to learn more about why prevention matters and why you should schedule your kid’s dentist appointment in Salem.

What is preventive dentistry?

To put it simply, preventive dentistry consists of all the steps you should take to protect your child’s oral health. That includes teaching your child how to brush and floss properly, and taking them to their kid’s dentist appointment in Salem every six months for a professional cleaning and oral evaluation. To put it simply, preventive dentistry for your child focuses on:

  • Educating you and your child on how to care for their teeth at home.
  • Quality, in-office, professional pediatric dental care.

At your child’s dentist appointment in Salem, the dentist will do the following:

  • Conduct an oral evaluation to identify any surface-level problem areas.
  • Take X-rays to identify potential diseases and developmental problems before they become serious health issues.
  • Provide a professional dental cleaning to scrape away plaque and bacteria from the teeth and gums.
  • Give your child a fluoride treatment to strengthen their teeth and make them less vulnerable to cavities and other infections.
  • Determine if your child is ready for sealants to protect the back molars from tooth decay.
  • Teach you and your child proper brushing and flossing techniques.
  • Provide recommendations for tooth-friendly foods and snacks, especially if the dentist finds evidence of decay from excess sugar intake.

Spinnaker Pediatric Dentistry’s approach to your child’s oral health is safe, friendly, and fun.

Access to good, quality preventive dentistry can help ensure healthy mouths and teeth. It also reduces the need for more extensive dental procedures in the future. But when finding the right kid’s dentist for your child, it is essential to know that not all dentists are the same. Look for a dentist who offers specialized care just for kids. In particular, seek out a pediatric dentist who offers the following services.

Digital X-rays Instead of Conventional X-rays

Today’s digital X-rays provide dentists with clearer images with high resolution. This makes it less likely that we will miss a dental issue and, in most cases, retakes are unnecessary. Digital X-rays are fast and efficient, so your child doesn’t need to wait longer than needed. We know that kids can get the wiggles in the dental chair.

Intraoral Cameras

Dentists use the intraoral camera to examine your child’s mouth. It looks much like an oversized pen and takes high-resolution images of the mouth that show in real time on a nearby computer monitor. Consider it a high-tech version of the mirrors that dentists use in your mouth to see all the parts.

Intraoral cameras are very similar to X-rays, but instead of imaging the tooth’s interior, they show the dentist the exterior.

CariFree

CariFree helps reduce the risk of cavities in kids who are particularly prone to them. These products include pH neutralization, Xylitol, antibacterial properties, fluoride, and Nano Hydroxyapatite. Your kid’s dentist may recommend one or more of the following CariFree items:

  • Tooth-friendly lollipops.
  • Rinses.
  • Dental gel.
  • Tooth spray.

Dental Sealants

We mentioned dental sealants earlier, as we highly recommend them for children to prevent cavities on their back teeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), once applied, sealants protect against 80% of cavities for two years and continue to protect against 50% of cavities for up to four years. The process is quick and painless, and will give your child’s teeth an extra layer of protection.

Sedation Dentistry

Our goal is to help your child at every phase of their oral health, from infancy until their late teenage years. And because our specialization is kids, we understand that some kids have fears about going to the dentist. For this reason, we offer dental sedation as a safe option for kids with dental anxiety. Sedation dentistry is often a good choice for kids with one or more of the following situations:

  • A large amount of needed dental work.
  • Bad gag reflex.
  • Inability to sit still in the dental chair.
  • Low pain threshold.
  • Sensitive teeth.

So don’t let one of these factors keep your kid away from the dentist. Sedation dentistry, combined with our years of experience helping kids relax and have fun at the dentist, will ensure a positive experience for you and your child.

Schedule your kid’s next dental appointment in Salem, OR.

Research indicates that kids with poor oral health are more likely to miss school, perform poorly in school, and experience dental pain. With the right approach to oral care at home and partnering with the right children’s dentist near Salem, OR, you can protect your child from tooth decay and other oral health risks. If your child is due for their next dentist’s appointment, now is the time to contact us to get their appointment on your calendar.