Teaching young children the importance of daily oral hygiene is key to helping them maintain a healthy smile! That means showing them how to brush and floss the entirety of their smile daily. Because children are still developing the dexterity necessary to reach every surface, they may be more likely to miss certain spots. When this happens, the risk of cavities can go up. By scheduling routine appointments for cleanings and exams, we offer a professional hand at removing plaque and identifying any active threats to their teeth and gums. If we notice a cavity in your little one’s smile, we suggest treating it right away to stop the spread of decay. If your son or daughter complains of a strong toothache in between visits, please schedule an appointment right away. This could be a symptom of an infection that requires our immediate attention.
At your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist, we spend each day helping young children develop healthy smiles. This includes offering preventive services that prevent decay from taking hold of their teeth, and responding to cavities when they do appear. By maintaining a baby tooth until the natural time to fall out, we ensure that your child’s jaw develops properly to support their adult smile in adolescence.
Detecting Tooth Decay In Kids
How can you tell if your kid has a cavity? Tooth decay can go months or even years before becoming detected on your own. This means losing healthy material if regular dental checkups do not occur. But by heading to the dentist every six months, we ensure that a cavity never lasts longer than half a year without treatment. By providing early detection, we increase the amount of healthy material saved in a little one’s smile.
When Decay Turns To Infection
Regular checkups also help prevent a break in your child’s enamel from turning into a dental infection. If a child skips regular checkups, exposed chambers in their tooth can receive bacterial deposits that form painful infections. Without treatment, bacteria can break away and enter the child’s bloodstream, spreading to other parts of the body. The pain your child feels is due to the body’s inflammatory response alerting you of a foreign presence. Please do not ignore this signal!
More Support For Young Smiles
To better protect your child’s teeth, we provide fluoride treatments to remineralize their enamel at each checkup. We also offer dental sealants when a child’s molars first appear. Sealants provide a physical barrier against bacteria to prevent cavities on harder-to-reach teeth.
Speak With Your Shirley, NY, Pediatric Dentist About Taking Steps To Fight Tooth Decay
When you bring your child to regular checkups, we can help prevent cavities and detect them early in their development. If you want to learn more about preventing and treating cases of tooth decay for kids, then contact Shirley Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Shirley, NY, by calling (631) 399-1600.
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