Brush at Home and Schedule a Kids Dental Cleaning

Brushing teeth at home is important, but a kids dental cleaning is still necessary to ensure that a child remains in good oral health. A lot of parents ask us why it is so important to visit the dentist when they are brushing their child's teeth at home.

First, we want to applaud all the parents who are working so hard to keep their children's teeth as clean as possible. We appreciate and applaud their efforts because we know this is not easy, especially for young children.

Second, we want to point out that what is happening at home is important but is just not enough. It is very difficult to remove all the plaque from teeth or in between them. Therefore, these professional cleaning appointments remove what was missed at home.  In other words, both at-home care and in-office care are important for helping children to remain in good oral health.

How often do I need to bring a child in for a kids dental cleaning?

When parents ask this question, we hesitate to answer until we conduct an examination. The answer depends on a child's oral health. For most children, it is only necessary to bring them to our office twice a year. This should be sufficient to prevent dental decay and to treat any problems quickly.

However, children who have already suffered from dental decay and infections may need to visit us more frequently. For example, a child who has lost teeth due to infection is going to require constant care. For the next year or two, they may need to visit us every quarter. This is something we will recommend after conducting an exam.

What happens during a kids dental cleaning?

During this appointment, we will begin by helping the child to feel comfortable in our office. We take time to chat, ask questions and get to know them a little. Once they are comfortable, we get right to work. Since kids dental cleanings do not hurt, it may be unnecessary to give them any type of medication or to use nitrous oxide to help them relax. However, a parent can let us know if the child needs this.

We use a dental tool that rotates in a circular fashion and an abrasive paste to clean the teeth. These professional tools work wonders to remove plaque from the teeth. If any tartar remains, we can use a dental pic to scrape it off. Once their teeth are clean, we may recommend using fluoride to strengthen them. Applying fluoride only takes a couple of minutes and is entirely painless.

There is also an examination

A second part of the appointment is to examine the child's teeth. We need to do so in order to identify if there are any signs of tooth decay. For example, if we see a soft spot, we will determine the most effective course of action for removal or reverse the spot.

When it comes to oral health, catching and treating problems quickly is important to prevent the problem from getting worse. That is why we need to see children twice a year. Otherwise, a cavity could grow into a severe infection. We do not want this to happen. Thus, we recommend regular appointments as a preventative measure.

We also answer questions

Children and parents are welcome to ask us questions and we will do our best to provide important information about oral health.

Schedule an appointment today

A kids dental cleaning is incredibly important and we encourage you to call us and schedule an appointment for one today.