Exams and Cleanings for Children: Are They Even Required?
Everyone is aware children lose their baby teeth by six or seven to allow their permanent teeth to emerge. Most parents are skeptical when informed children need dental exams and cleanings from the time their first tooth emerges. Unfortunately, many parents fall prey to their skepticism and avoid visiting dentists until it is too late to get their children’s mouth examined and teeth cleaned.
If you are like many parents, skeptical about these exams and cleanings, it helps to understand why they are essential and not just a requirement for your child. The American Academy of pediatric dentistry, besides the American Dental Association, recommends children undergo exams and cleanings every six months to have their mouths examined by a pediatric dentist and their teeth cleaned by a dental hygienist. Dentists also take x-rays to detect anomalies between your child’s teeth during the exam. Do you want more information on why these routine procedures are essential for your child when they are expected to lose their baby teeth soon?
Please continue reading this blog for more information on the questions you have in your mind.
Preventive Dentistry for Children and Adolescents
Preventive dentistry aims to focus on avoiding oral diseases helping children with their teeth robust throughout their life. A dental exam and cleaning near you protect your child from developing cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues. During dental exams, pediatric dentists use a combination of preventive treatments to help your child have optimal oral health.
What to Expect during Pediatric Dental Exams?
Children must undergo dental exams every six months. Besides examining your child’s mouth, the pediatric dentist has the dental hygienist clean your child’s teeth and take x-rays of the mouth.
After teeth cleaning, your child receives topical fluoride treatments or sealants as required as a preventive measure against tooth decay. The dentist will discuss proper brushing and flossing techniques with you for younger children.
As children get older, their oral care changes. Dental exams and cleanings for older children and teenagers combine the services discussed above. Additionally, dentists discuss the oral health risks associated with tobacco use and substance abuse.
Professional Teeth Cleanings
Everyone has a misconception that brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash are sufficient to remove plaque buildup in the mouth. Unfortunately, a manual toothbrush doesn’t help clear all the bacteria present in the mouth with plaque.
During in-office professional cleanings, the dental hygienist removes plaque and tartar buildup on the surface of the teeth and between them. Older children receive a demonstration of flossing techniques, helping them get deep between their teeth to remove plaque buildup accumulating continuously. Plaque requires a mere 48 hours to harden into tartar. When left on the teeth for extended periods, plaque and tartar lead to the development of gingivitis, a progressive dental infection resulting in loss of teeth, and other issues.
Other Treatments
Besides examining the mouth and cleaning your child’s teeth, children receive topical fluoride treatments to strengthen their enamel. Robust enamel prevents plaque from penetrating the tooth surfaces to cause cavities.
When children develop their premolars and molars, the pediatric dental office in Martinsville recommends applying dental sealants on them to seal the deep grooves and fissures, trapping food particles and plaque and preventing cavities.
The thoughtful gesture from Dr. Brown, the pediatric dentist of the facility, helps avoid visits to the emergency pediatric dentist in Martinsville to deal with unexpected toothaches and other issues.
How Children Benefit from Exams and Cleanings?
When you take your child for regular exams and cleanings, you ensure their oral health remains in optimal condition with help from the pediatric dentist. The preventive procedures your child benefits from don’t merely keep their oral health in optimal condition but also help save you plenty of money and time that you would otherwise spend in dental offices seeking expensive treatments for oral health conditions affecting your child.
Children will lose their baby teeth by six or seven, but there is no reason why you cannot help prevent loss of baby teeth earlier by visiting pediatric dentists with your child for regular exams and cleanings. A baby tooth lost early requires treatments with space maintainers to ensure their remaining teeth don’t move towards the vacant gap created by the missing tooth. In addition, dental exams and cleanings help identify any issues in your child’s mouth to prevent aggravation of the problem resulting in unwanted expenditure at dentist’s offices. It is to safeguard your financial health that children’s exams and cleanings become essential while preserving the child’s oral health and smile throughout their lives.