Pediatric Dental Procedures – What to Expect
Did you know the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends children have their first dental visit within six months of their first tooth eruption or by their first birthday? Early visits to the dentist set your child up for success by helping avoid tooth decay – but what exactly is offered at these appointments? In this blog, we’ll explore what you can expect to see during your child’s pediatric dental procedures at Pediatric Smiles of Northland Kansas City.
What to Expect at Your Child’s First Dental Appointment
Before diving into pediatric dental procedures in general, it’s important to get a sense of what to expect at your child’s very first visit to the dentist. This will help you mentally prepare for the appointment and get your son or daughter ready, too.
Your child’s age will be the main consideration during their first dental visit. For infants and toddlers, we focus primarily on getting to know you and your child, checking their jaw and tooth progression, performing a quick cleaning, and providing educational resources.
Baby’s First Dental Visit
For children aged 18 months or younger, we provide a complimentary visit and oral assessment to introduce them to our expert pediatric dentist, Dr. Ryan Francois.
Since young children tend to be nervous when distanced from Mom or Dad – especially in an unfamiliar environment – we find the “lap-to-lap” or “knee-to-knee” technique to work well. In this setup, your child will lie partially in your lap, looking up at you while their top half is in the dentist’s lap. In this position, Dr. Francois is able to access your child’s mouth without compromising their comfort. As a bonus, your child can hold your hands during the exam. This helps ease anxiety and also prevents young tots from swatting the dentist away and possibly harming themselves.
Pediatric Dental Procedures: Routine Prevention
After the initial exam, our team will complete the following pediatric dental procedures at each routine visit thereafter:
- Review your child’s health history.
- Take any necessary x-rays.
- Clean your child’s teeth.
- Conduct a thorough clinical examination of your child’s mouth, palate, gums, tongue, and teeth.
- Discuss how nutrition affects kids’ dental health.
- Demonstrate how to properly brush and floss teeth.
Prevention in dentistry is the best treatment we can offer! We recommend our patients visit Dr. Francois every six months for optimal dental health. Learn more about our routine preventative care on our website.
Pediatric Dental Procedures: Oral Treatment
The best way to prevent tooth decay is through proper tooth brushing and routine dental care, but sometimes additional treatments are necessary. At Pediatric Smiles of Northland Kansas City, Dr. Francois handles all our patients’ dental restoration needs, including fillings and sealants. Below is further information on our pediatric dental procedures, specifically oral treatments.
Dental Sealants
A pediatric dental sealant is a safe, tooth-colored coating that is applied to the chewing surface of your child’s back teeth. Sealants help prevent cavities and provide a protective barrier against bacteria.
Sealants are recommended for use on permanent molars and premolars and are often applied at 6 years and 12 years when these teeth erupt. Learn more on our blog, “Pediatric Dental Sealants: A Guide for Parents”.
Cavity Treatment
Should cavities on baby teeth get treated? Absolutely.
Even though they’re going to fall out anyway? Yes! Please keep reading.
Treatment of cavities is important even in primary teeth because untreated tooth decay can affect your child’s overall health and impact the development of permanent teeth, too. Additionally, healthy primary teeth are essential to keep proper spacing in a child’s mouth as they wait for permanent teeth to come in.
Rest assured, we treat cavities using the least traumatic and most effective methods possible. For more information, visit our blog, “What are Cavities and How Are They Treated?”
Pediatric Stainless Steel Crowns
When a primary tooth has severe decay and other filling materials won’t do the trick, Pediatric Smiles, along with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), recommends restoring the tooth with a pediatric stainless steel crown. Learn more on our blog, “Why Do Kids Get Pediatric Stainless Steel Crowns?”
Nitrous Oxide
If your child has any apprehension toward dental work, nitrous oxide is an option at Pediatric Smiles Dentistry. Commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is recognized by the AAPD as a safe, effective option to help children relax.
After we administer laughing gas, your child can focus on the movie playing on the TV above them rather than fretting about their dental procedure.
Dental anxiety can get the best of us at times – we get it! Visit our blog for tips: “How to Help Your Child Overcome Dental Anxiety”.
Schedule an Appointment at Pediatric Smiles
Do you have more questions about pediatric dental procedures? Our team at Pediatric Smiles of Northland KC is here to help. We offer several types of dental care for children from birth through their teenage years.
Come see us at 8672 NE Flintrock Road in Kansas City, Missouri – we’re always accepting new patients. Give us a call or schedule an appointment online today!
