Just like adults, children need dental care to ensure their teeth and gums remain healthy and strong. Though daily brushing and flossing greatly contribute to excellent oral health, they are not the only factors necessary for maintaining a smile. We encourage you to schedule children’s dentistry visits twice a year for your little ones so we may thoroughly examine your child’s smile, while providing thorough cleaning and preventive treatments.
Appointments for Children
When you bring your child in for dental care, we always provide time for them to become comfortable and acclimated to the foreign environment of the dental office. Once your child feels relaxed, we will provide your child with a visit like that of an adult dental checkup and cleaning. We will monitor the development of your son or daughter’s teeth, while checking for any changes or abnormalities in gum tissue. Our gentle, skilled hygienist will carefully remove plaque from your child’s teeth surfaces before finishing with a tooth polishing. We recommend bringing your little one in to see us as soon as the first baby tooth erupts, typically around age one.
Our Children’s Dentistry Treatments
The soundest method of caring for children’s teeth and gums is offering protection to encourage a smile that remains healthy as it grows. We offer the following preventive services:
- Fluoride Treatment: Fluoride is a mineral that occurs in nature and has the capacity to strengthen bone tissue. It helps remineralize weakened enamel – the outermost layer of dental tissue – which may help prevent the development of cavities.
- Dental Sealants: Your dentist will paint a barely-visible layer of plastic over your child’s back teeth, which are often difficult to clean when learning how to brush and floss. The sealant covers the tooth’s surface, preventing plaque adhesion.
Do You Care for Children With Special Needs?
Children with sensory sensitivity or medical conditions that make dental treatment difficult also benefit from special needs children’s dentistry. Our approach includes a calm environment and friendly staff. We also provide longer appointments and a dedicated support staff. We take your child’s developmental issues into account and tailor each visit to his/her individual needs.
What About Sedation Dentistry?
Often, we can recommend sedation dentistry to help nervous or anxious children feel relaxed. We can provide nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or oral sedation for a deeper level of calming. We will monitor your child’s vital signs throughout the procedure and provide detailed aftercare instructions for parents.
What are Space Maintainers?
We all want our children to enjoy a healthy, even smile. However, sometimes due to an accident or a dental health issue, baby teeth may be lost prematurely. Losing a tooth early can change how the permanent teeth erupt. To prevent this, we may recommend a space maintainer to help kids avoid an uneven smile as they grow.
The space maintainer is made from plastic or steel and used to keep a gap open where a tooth once stood. Otherwise, the teeth may drift towards the empty gap and cause misalignment, improper eruption of permanent teeth, and other oral health concerns. We can provide removable or fixed devices, depending on your child’s needs. We use an impression to create custom-made devices.
Like a retainer, your space maintainer will require regular maintenance. Proper care of the device can help promote good oral health. We urge children to always brush their teeth in the morning and again before bed. Kids also need to floss before bed each night. Finally, try to avoid hard or sticky foods as they can become stuck to the device and even damage it, causing the device to become loose.
What Other Dental Treatments Do You Offer for Children?
Our offices also offer dental treatments such as tooth extraction, dental crowns, and dental fillings. We encourage you to contact us if you have specific questions about the types of children’s dentistry services we offer.
Schedule a Children’s Dentistry Treatment for Your Child With Us
We offer a wide variety of children’s dentistry treatments to help your child maintain good oral health. For more information, please contact one of our Riverside Dental Group offices. We have locations in Corona, Moreno Valley, Riverside, and Temecula.
