Pediatric Dental Exams & Cleanings
WE WANT TO SEE YOU:
The first tooth or the first birthday! That’s when The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists (AAPD) recommends children find a Pediatric Dentist to call their dental home. After that, it’s every 6 months.
Why so early? Prevention is key! As Pediatric Dentists, we are trained on the multitude of events that can happen during teeth development and eruption, and we will spend the time to discuss how to keep your child’s teeth cavity-free!
WHAT TO EXPECT:
First and foremost, our team is skilled at making your child feel comfortable. Our non-rushed philosophy allows us to explain and demonstrate what is about to happen so that there are no surprises. Once your child is at ease, they can view a menu to choose their favorite flavor of toothpaste for their professional cleaning. We feature a variety of kid-friendly toothpaste flavors that utilize ice cream flavoring to make them extra tasty (we also have no flavor options)! As a part of the cleaning, our team will review brushing and flossing techniques to make sure they are spot on. If our doctors determine that x-rays are needed, we utilize technologically advanced digital x-rays to minimize radiation exposure. After that, either Dr. Luce or Dr. Scheps (both board-certified pediatric dentists) will complete a comprehensive exam that not only focuses on the teeth but also evaluates growth and development, how the teeth fit together, and the presence of any lip- or tongue-ties. Our doctors will spend the time explaining (and showing) their findings to you and make sure that all of your questions are answered.
CAN PARENTS BE BACK?:
Yes! We want the best experience for your child. If being with them helps that, great! We encourage parents to be with their child for exams but we ask that you give our team the chance to do what they do best and build rapport with your child. We believe in our team and want parents to see how much fun a dental checkup can be!
OUR STANCE ON X-RAYS:
We understand that some families may have questions about dental x-rays. A proper set of x-rays is an important part of our comprehensive exam, but we only take x-rays WHEN THERE IS A NEED. In addition to screening for cavities, x-rays give us necessary information about the growth and development of the baby and permanent teeth, as well as the jaws and skeleton. X-rays allow us to make sure there aren’t any missing or extra teeth, that developing permanent teeth are oriented properly, and they help us screen for more serious things such as cysts or tumors in the jaws. Our doctors will evaluate every child on an individual basis to make recommendations as to which x-rays are needed. Once x-rays are obtained and evaluated, they will again make individualized recommendations to determine the proper x-ray schedule for your child.
OUR STANCE ON FLUORIDE:
We are big fans of fluoride, but we understand that not every family is. We utilize a fluoride varnish that sticks directly to the teeth, thereby minimizing ingestion. We recommend fluoride because it does 3 main things to benefit teeth:
- Fluoride helps make the teeth more resistant to cavity formation.
- Fluoride helps remineralize and heal small cavities so they don’t get to the point of needing treatment.
- Fluoride slows the growth of the cavity-causing bacteria
Still not feeling it? No problem, just let our team know!
