Pediatric Dental Cleanings in Brandon, Florida
Regular dental cleanings help reduce your child’s risk of gum disease and dental decay.
If possible, we want to prevent dental issues rather than see your child go through them. That is why we recommend twice-a-year dental cleanings. They’re one of the top ways we help our pediatric patients maintain healthy teeth and gums.
What to Expect During a Teeth Cleaning Appointment
When you bring your child to Dr. Derek Busciglio’s office for their cleaning appointments, here’s what you can expect.
Oral Examination
Dr. Busciglio will do an exam at each cleaning appointment. Doing so will allow him to catch problems early so we can take care of them quickly, which will save you and your family a lot of time, money, and anxiety.
During the examination, Dr. Busciglio will check the following.
Teeth: We’ll evaluate your child’s teeth to see which ones are present, missing, or still not erupted. Each tooth will be examined for decay, chips, cracks, fractures, or any issues with existing dental work.
Gums: Yes, even children can get periodontal disease. We’ll assess the gum tissue for redness, tenderness, and bleeding. As your child gets older, we’ll measure the gum pockets to make sure they’re maintaining a healthy depth.
Soft tissues: Soft tissues abnormalities can present not just in your child’s mouth, but also their head and neck. Dr. Busciglio will do a thorough soft tissue examination to look for signs of lesions, ulcers, cysts, inflammation, or irritation.
Oral cancer screening: Your child’s pediatric dentist will check your child’s gums, tongue, throat, lips, face, neck, cheeks, and other oral soft tissues for indications of oral cancer.
Orthodontic evaluation: We’ll see if your child’s bite is developing properly or if there are any problems (or the potential for problems). Early intervention is the goal if we find any issues.
Dental X-Rays
As thorough as Dr. Busciglio is during the examination, he can’t see inside the teeth and jawbones, or between the teeth. Dental x-rays are the only way he can completely monitor your child’s oral health and diagnose issues early.
Professional Cleaning and Polishing
Our Florida pediatric dentist or dental hygienist will remove plaque and tartar (hardened, calcified plaque) from your child’s teeth above and below the gumline. It’s important to remove plaque because it’s full of bacteria. The bacteria release acids that demineralize the teeth and cause decay.
It isn’t always easy for little ones to thoroughly brush their teeth, so getting assistance from a professional can help ensure the health of their dentition. This is especially true if tartar has built-up, because it is impossible to remove without professional instruments.
After we clean your child’s teeth, we’ll polish them with a safe, abrasive polishing paste. This will help us make sure all plaque is removed. Plus, the polishing paste is great at removing surface stains and making your child’s teeth feel squeaky clean!
Fluoride Treatment
Fluoride helps strengthen the enamel. It’s one of the tools we have to help prevent childhood cavities.
Oral Hygiene Education and Instructions
No one is born with the knowledge needed to properly care for their teeth and gums. That information needs to be taught, which is what our team will do for your child every step of the way.
At each appointment, we’ll check in with your child to see how often they’re brushing and flossing. We’ll evaluate their technique and review the best way to brush and floss. Our team will go over these things with you, too, so you can monitor how your children are doing on the home front. We’ll even show you how to turn brushing and flossing into a game so your children will actually enjoy their oral hygiene routine.
Consultation with the Parents
When possible, we like to chat with our patient’s parents about the child’s lifestyle and habits. These can include:
- – Thumb sucking
- – Nutrition
- – Chewing (pens/pencils/fingernails)
Knowing what your kids do at home can provide us with vital information. Based on what you tell us, we’ll be able to make faster, more accurate diagnosis. We’ll also be able to provide you and your kids with helpful homecare tips and recommendations that will keep your kids and their teeth healthy. We like to think that we’re a team – you, your child, and our dental professionals. Together, we can provide your child with the best care possible and prevent long-term damage.
We Believe in "An Ounce of Prevention"
If your child has a dental problem – a toothache, tender gums, or dental decay – we have the skills, knowledge, and equipment needed to care for their needs.
However, we would love to be able to prevent your child from having to deal with these issues altogether. The less we can do to a tooth, the better. Natural teeth without fillings are stronger and healthier. If we can help your child reduce the number of fillings they need, we’ll be happy!
Talk to our pediatric dentist today about how we can work together to keep your child’s teeth, gums, and soft tissues healthy utilizing preventative measures.
