At Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry, routine dental cleanings are important for our patient’s little smiles. Home care such as brushing and flossing play a big role in maintaining oral health, but we also need to visit our dentist to make sure we are finding all of those sugar bugs!
What are we looking for during a dental cleaning visit?
Dental plaque is a sticky, white film that naturally forms on our teeth. When dental plaque is not removed properly with brushing and flossing, our saliva can harden plaque to our teeth and become dental calculus, better known as tartar build up. At Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry in Frankfort, IL, we aim to educate our patient’s on the importance of taking care of their teeth at home while removing these dental biofilms to ensure optimal dental health. While dental plaque is soft and can be removed with a toothbrush or floss, dental tartar is hardened onto the tooth structure and can only be removed with special instruments by dental professionals.
Once any dental build up is removed, your child’s teeth will be polished by a member of our dental team. Dental polishing removes any surface dental staining (dental staining can occur from foods or drinks or sometimes naturally occurring bacteria in our mouths!). A polished tooth creates a brighter smile and a smoother surface to stop plaque from adhering to the tooth structure (this can aid in the prevention of plaque and tartar build up as well as cavity formation).
At your child’s routine dental visit, an examination will be performed by one of our pediatric dentists. At this time, our pediatric dentists will review any radiographs taken and discuss their findings both on the xrays and clinically within the mouth. Examinations are essential to detect any dental issues such as cavities or gingivitis. Our dental team at Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry will then be able to discuss our findings and give oral hygiene recommendations and instructions to help our patient’s stay sugar bug free!
Routine dental cleanings and examinations twice per year as recommended by our Bite Size dentists also help our young patients become more comfortable with visiting the dentist – during these more frequent dental visits, we are able to show the patients our instruments and talk them through the visit to help create a happy and positive dental experience 🙂
