We hope you all had a wonderful summer! It can be hard to think about preparing for school when you are still in vacation mode but don’t wait until the last minute to schedule your child’s back-to-school dental appointment and get caught in the last-minute rush.
Why is it important to get your child in for their back-to-school checkup?
Early detection of dental problems and prevention can help your child avoid school absences because of pain or sickness caused by cavities. We also use these visits to establish healthy dental habits and a routine, which can easily get disrupted when children are in vacation-mode.
What does the visit involve?
- Check-up for overall dental health: We will examine your child for oral injuries, cavities or other orthodontic problems.
- Cleaning the teeth and providing tips for daily care:Dental cleanings remove cavity-causing bacteria and helps to keep gum tissue healthy. It also removes any stains from teeth. We will also help your child with their brushing and flossing technique.
- The doctor may also make recommendation on:
- Providing dental sealant treatment: A sealant is a thin, protective coating placed in the grooves found on the chewing surfaces of the permanent molar and/or premolar teeth. It is a safe and painless way of protecting your child’s teeth from tooth decay by forming a hard shield that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the tiny grooves in the teeth.
- Guarding Against Sports Injuries: To protect your child’s mouth and teeth from sports injuries, make sure your child has a properly fitting mouth guard. We can fabricate a custom-fitted mouth guard that will fit correctly and feel comfortable.
How Do I Help My Children Care for Their Teeth and Prevent Cavities?
Teaching your child proper oral care at a young age will carry through with them as an adult. Teach them to follow these simple steps:
- 2min2X – Brush twice a day for 2 minutes with a fluoride toothpaste to remove plaque-which is the main cause of tooth decay.
- Floss once daily to remove plaque from between your teeth. Once tartar has formed, it can only be removed by a professional cleaning.
- Eat a well-balanced diet that limits starchy or sugary foods, which produce plaque acids that cause tooth decay.
- Make sure that your children’s drinking water is fluoridated.
- Take your child to the dentist for regular 6 month checkups.
What Should I Do if My Child Chips, Breaks or Knocks Out a Tooth?
- If your child is in oral pain from an accident or injury, or a tooth is broken, cracked or chipped, you should visit us immediately. We will want to examine the affected area and determine appropriate treatment.
- If a tooth is completely knocked out of the mouth by an injury, handle the tooth as little as possible. To control the bleeding, place a piece of sterile gauze over the socket and ask your child to bite down on it or hold it in place. Avoid touching the root of the tooth when handling it. Rinse it in water or milk if the tooth is dirty. Do not wipe or otherwise clean the tooth. Don’t wrap the tooth in a napkin or allow it to dry because this reduces the chance that it will reattach. Gently replace the tooth in its socket, or if that isn’t possible, put it in a clean container of milk, saltwater or saliva. Take your child to see a dentist as soon as possible, and bring the tooth with you. If you can’t find the tooth, it might be stuck in your child’s mouth. We can take an X-ray to look for it and check for other injuries.
Call us at 678.890.2555 or click here to schedule your child for their check-up, so they are ready to go back to school with a healthy smile.