Preventive Care in Highland Village
Maintain Your Child’s Healthy Smile
At Pediatric Dental World, Dr. Clapp, Dr. Bell, Dr. Lee, and Dr. Smith specialize in preventive care for kids of all ages. From infants to toddlers, older kids, pre-teens, and teenagers, we’re here to provide your whole family with the care they need for healthy mouths and strong smiles. Learn more about our preventive services below, or contact us to schedule a six-month teeth appointment for your child right away.
Routine Hygiene Appointments
Routine teeth cleanings and oral exams are absolutely essential for preventive dentistry. By seeing one of our dentists regularly, you can ensure that your child’s mouth is healthy and free of common issues like gingivitis and cavities. And, in the rare case that we do find a serious oral health problem, the team at Pediatric Dental World can provide your child with the care they need right away.
This is important because catching oral health issues early helps prevent complications. For example, a minor cavity can be treated with a filling, but if the cavity is not treated and becomes infected, it will need a root canal and a dental filling, which is a much more costly and time-consuming process. Routine care helps prevent these complications, which saves you both time and money.
Preventing Cavities
Fluoride Treatments
If your child is cavity-prone, six-month fluoride treatments are a great way to strengthen their teeth, rebuild their enamel, and reduce the risk of tooth decay in the future. Fluoride helps “remineralize” teeth, which can reverse minor decay and reduce the risk of future cavities. Here’s how the process works.
Clean and Polish Teeth
We usually perform fluoride treatments as part of a routine six-month checkup, so your child’s teeth will be cleaned, polished, and examined before the treatment begins to ensure their mouth is healthy.
Apply Fluoride to Strengthen Teeth
A fluoride varnish is gently painted on your child's teeth by their dentist or hygienist. They are able to eat and drink right away, but we kindly ask patients to steer clear of super hot drinks or foods for the next 8 hours to let the fluoride do its job. The fluoride will attract minerals like calcium and phosphates to your child’s teeth, remineralizing and strengthening them.
Prevent Cavities with Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are made of a layer of thin, transparent resin, and can completely prevent cavities for up to 10 years with proper application, so they’re great for kids who struggle with tooth decay. Here’s how the process works.
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Clean and Dry The Tooth
Your child’s teeth will be cleaned, then the tooth receiving sealants will be rinsed, dried, and isolated. Then, the tooth will be gently etched with a mild acid to give the surface more grip for the resin. Finally, it will be rinsed and dried again to prepare for resin application.
Apply Liquid Resin
Your child’s dentist or hygienist will apply a thin layer of resin to the tooth in liquid form, ensuring the enamel is completely covered.
Harden Resin with a UV Light
Using a UV light, your child’s dentist will harden the sealant, creating a strong protective barrier that prevents the direct contact of food, bacteria, and acid. In turn, this stops the formation of cavities.
