Hygiene Appointment
Preventive care includes regular professional teeth cleanings. The frequency of hygiene appointments will depend on the health of your child’s teeth, gums and bone. Healthy children should have their teeth cleaned at least once every 6 months. If your child has high caries risk which will be discussed with Dr. Gandhi, your child’s teeth may need to be cleaned more often. Regular preventive dental visits allow problems to be identified early.
During a standard appointment, one of our trained staff members will remove the build-up of soft (plaque) and hard (tartar, calculus or stains) deposits from the teeth and soft tissue.
We also will:
- Take x-rays (if needed; child-dependent)
- Screen for cancer and other diseases
- Assess growth and development
- Assess orthodontic needs
- Evaluate gum disease
- Check for cavities
- Apply fluoride
- Examine the diagnostic x-rays
- Assess the integrity of existing dental restorations (fillings)
- Educate you on your child’s oral health status
Establishing a caries prevention program for your child is extremely important at Pine Smiles. The earlier the dental visit, the better the chance of preventing dental disease and helping your child build a cavity-free smile!
For each child, we will always establish:
- A program of preventive home care including brushing, flossing, diet, and fluoride use
- A caries risk assessment
- Information about Early Childhood Caries
- Facts about oral habits
- What to do about preventing injuries to mouth and teeth and what to do if it happens
- Information on growth and development (when teeth erupt and fall out)