Our team offers treatment for the entire family, including the youngest members of your family! With pediatric dentistry, we can offer care designed to help kids enjoy good oral health and avoid common issues like tooth decay. Our Albany, NY dental office explains why kids of all ages benefit from routine pediatric dental care!
The First Visit
When should children see the dentist for the first time? We typically recommend this at around age one, after the first baby tooth has erupted. This is a wellness visit, one involving a simple knee-to-knee lap exam to make sure baby teeth are erupting as they should. However, starting at age two we urge parents to bring their children in for checkups and cleanings.
Checkups and Cleanings
With a dental exam, we can monitor your child’s smile over time, watching for the earliest indicators of issues like tooth decay, gingivitis, and even misalignment. We then discuss treatments to address these concerns, often before they cause discomfort or threaten smile stability. The exam also is a chance to ask about their oral hygiene routines and talk to them about brushing and flossing, and smile-healthy snacks. Kids are less likely to develop dental anxiety, and more likely to attend dental visits on their own as adults.
In the same sitting, we also remove all plaque and tartar from the teeth with a dental cleaning. The process only takes a few minutes, using an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual tool to remove the buildup and lower the risk of cavities and gingivitis in the process. Cleanings also help fight bad breath and teeth stains too.
Preventing Cavities
We know that tooth decay is a widespread concern for kids of all ages. Which is why we also offer treatments to help fight the onset of tooth decay. When your little ones see us for an exam, we can apply fluoride directly to the teeth in a varnish form, which helps strengthen the enamel, even the weakened portions, to prevent cavities. Since kids have trouble reaching the rear teeth when they brush and floss, we can place dental sealants, an acrylic layer that covers these teeth so food and drink particles cannot be trapped there. Sealants can sometimes stay in place for up to ten years!
If you have any questions about our approach to children’s dentistry, or if you would like to schedule a visit for your little one, then contact our team today.
Talk To Your Albany, NY Dentist About Pediatric Dentistry!
Our team wants to help kids in our community maintain strong and healthy smiles. If you would like to learn more about treatment for kids of all ages, then please call our Albany, NY dental office today at (518) 869-5397.