Check-up
How Often Should My Child See A Dentist?
Most children need to see a dentist regularly every six months for a full checkup and dental cleaning.
Why Do Children Need Regular Dental Checkups?
When we examine a child’s mouth regularly, we can easily detect any changes to their dental health, usually before they feel any discomfort. At this stage, any signs of disease are easier and quicker to treat, using procedures that are less invasive and more comfortable. It is a proactive and preventative approach towards dentistry that can help to avoid many common diseases, including caries (tooth decay) and periodontal disease (gum disease).
What to Expect When Your Child First Sees a Dentist?
Their first visit to Dr Smile is a comprehensive examination where we will review their medical history and will examine their mouth gently. It is an important visit that allows us to evaluate their current dental health and to assess their risk of developing dental diseases. It provides us with a great deal of information that we use to create their custom preventative treatment plan. The plan provides useful information including the recommended frequency of dental visits, as well as other preventative treatments we think could be helpful, for example, dental sealants or fluoride treatments.
Once we have all this information, we can discuss our findings with you and with your kid, if they are old enough, using language they can easily understand, as we begin building a relationship with you and your family. If any treatments are needed immediately, we will explain why and what exactly will happen and how the treatment will help to restore and protect your child’s oral health.
Will My Child Need X-Rays?
We do take digital dental x-rays periodically as these images are very useful, allowing us to check the development of their teeth and jaws. Dental x-rays are also needed if we suspect a tooth infection or that a tooth is decayed. We only ever take x-rays when needed, and digital x-rays are particularly safe, emitting only very low levels of radiation.
Scale and Polish
Just like adults, kids can benefit from having their teeth cleaned professionally as it is a procedure that removes all hardened plaque, a substance called calculus, helping to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. We are very gentle when cleaning children’s teeth, and treatment is non-invasive and shouldn’t cause any discomfort or sensitivity. Once the teeth are clean, we give them a quick polish, leaving your child with a beautifully clean mouth and teeth that sparkle.