Dental Services to Improve Your Child’s Oral Health

Kids’ teeth start erupting at six months after birth and fall off at five to six years. Just like permanent teeth require proper dental care. Therefore, you should ensure your child maintains a good oral hygiene routine and visit a dentist regularly. You can choose your family dentist or consider a pediatric dentist near you as the primary dental care provider for your kid.

Your child’s routine dental care can start as soon as their first baby tooth erupts. It is also significant to let them familiarize themselves with the dentist to avoid developing a dental phobia. However, if your child dreads sitting in a dental clinic or even going for routine check-ups, your family dentist in Peoria can help with that.

Why Would Your Child Require Dental Care Services?

Children’s oral habits make them susceptible to tooth decay and dental cavities. Eating sugary and sticky foodstuffs encourages plaque build-up on the child’s enamels and gumline. If your child doesn’t practice good oral hygiene, the plaque turns to tartar, which provides an environment for the multiplication of harmful oral bacteria.

The bacteria release toxins that encourage tooth decay and dental cavities as well as gum infections. To avoid such dental issues, you can consider regular dental visits. The dentist can also help in treating some of the dental issues in their early to prevent further complications or the need for invasive dental procedures

Dental Services for Children

Some of the pediatric dentistry services include:

Preventive Dental Care

Our family dentist in Peoria believes that prevention is the best cure. Therefore, the dentist encourages parents to bring the children to the clinic for preventive dental care:

Some of the preventive dental care services include:

• Dental cleanings and exams. Professional dental cleanings and routine exams are very significant to your child’s oral health. During the dental exams, your dentist cleans and checks your child’s mouth for any developing issues. The dentist will then recommend treatments immediately, preventing further complications.
• Teeth sealants. If your child shows signs of dental cavities, your dentist might recommend dental sealants to prevent the growth of the pits and complications associated with tooth decay.
• Mouthguards. Some kids clench or grit their teeth, which encourages wear and tear of the enamel. To prevent wear and tear, the dentist can recommend custom protective mouth guards for the child.
• Fluoride treatments. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that protects your enamels from decay. The mineral can be deficient on your teeth. Therefore, the dentist will recommend fluoride to restore the deposits.

Restorative Dental Procedures

There are dental services that help restore damaged teeth. They include:

• Dental crowns. Porcelain or ceramic crowns are tooth caps that dentists use to cover a damaged tooth. If your child’s teeth are decayed or cracked, the dentist will use a dental crown to cover them, preventing the risk of gum infections.
• Dental fillings. If your child has a chipped tooth or big cavities, the dentist might consider dental fillings to restore the shape and strength of the tooth.

Emergency Dental Care

A fallen-out or broken teeth or gum infection can cause pain and distress to your child. Sometimes, they might not be able to wait until when the dentist’s office is open to receive dental care services. Therefore, at Plaza Family Dental, we provide emergency dental care services for issues such as:

• Knocked-out or broken teeth
• Bleeding
• Gum infection or a tooth abscess
• Unexplained toothache and swelling
• Chipped dental crown or filling

Education on Healthy Dental Habits

Good oral health habits have several benefits for your child. Therefore, you should help your child start practicing healthy habits at a tender age. For routine oral hygiene practices such as brushing and flossing, you should supervise them until you are sure they are doing it right.

Unlike adults, dentists recommend low content fluoride toothpaste since kids tend to swallow toothpaste if not supervised. Also, you can teach your child the importance of calcium and fruits in their diet as well as the harms of sticky candy.

Additionally, ensure your kid uses a protective mouthguard when playing contact sports to prevent dental injuries. You can also encourage them to go for check-ups and dental cleanings.