Dental Hygiene

We have said it before, but we think it is worth repeating: Your child’s mouth is connected to the rest of her body. That means that when something goes wrong in her mouth, she all of her could feel sick and you may not know why! That’s one of the reasons it is so important to establish healthy oral hygiene habits with your children the moment their first tooth erupts.

One of those habits – and one of the most important ones – is making sure you keep up with regular dental hygiene visits.

Our dental hygiene visits are never scary or intimidating, in part, because we welcome parents to stay with their kids for routine visits. We take plenty of time to educate both children and their parents. We help teach you how to comfortably and easily brush your little one’s teeth with special tips and tricks to make brushing and flossing fun. We help you know what foods are good for teeth and which to avoid.

We even teach you how to look for some of the most common issues that cause pediatric dental health issues like grinding and clenching, thumbsucking, and baby-bottle tooth decay.

Our “tooth counting” exams are fun and friendly and carried out by one of our lovely tooth fairies wearing a crown or a tutu. We take only digital x-rays for improved comfort. And our routine cleanings are done quickly and gently. Your child will love the fresh, clean feeling of newly polished teeth. It all adds up to a dental hygiene visit the whole family will enjoy. Why do we take such care with our patients? We think every child in Southern Delaware deserves a smile that will last a lifetime!

Check out our preventive services below. If you like what you see, give us a call. Your little ones’ smiles are worth protecting!

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Preventive Dental Treatments

Those giggles… those little grins… those magical smiles… Don’t you wish they could stay that way forever? While smiles grow and change, one thing that can last is the health of the teeth that fill every laugh with sparkle. We take that very seriously, and we know you do too.

Regular visits for cleanings and exams are a big part of your child’s preventive dentistry routine, but some teeth need a little extra help to stay cavity- and damage-free. Kids who are active in sports or who tend to clench their teeth need guards to protect their teeth and almost every child – even teenagers – can benefit from protective dental sealants. Treating children from their very first tooth all the way to age 20 allows us to check and maintain their teeth throughout those vital stages of development.

And of course, home care is important too. Don’t forget to prevent problems by avoiding damaging sugary or acidic drinks and especially never offering them in a bottle or sippy cup. Allowing your baby or toddler to carry around or fall asleep with a bottle containing anything other than water, allows sugars and acids to pool up around those little teeth exposing them to constant attack. And while citrus fruits are good for little bodies, they can be hard on teeth so limit these to short snack times and make sure your kids rinse with water afterward. All sour candy and taffy are big no-nos, except, maybe, on special occasions.

But you don’t have to only practice avoidance to protect those precious smiles: There are lots of foods that actually help protect and clean teeth like fresh and crunchy fruits and vegetables. Yogurt and cheese offer lots of tooth-strengthening calcium, phosphates, and vitamin D. Certain seeds and nuts can replenish enamel protecting minerals.

For more information on what we can do together to keep your children’s teeth strong, beautiful, and lighting up your life, talk to us at your next visit. We are always here to help!

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Restorative Dentistry Treatments

No one likes to get cavity fillings, but, sometimes, we forget what to do to prevent them.

Do your kids floss and brush after meals? They should! All kinds of ewey, gooey stuff gets stuck on, in, and between teeth and needs to get cleaned out. If it doesn’t, teeth can develop cavities and gums can get infected.

But less-than-consistent home hygiene isn’t the only thing that can lead to tooth decay, lots of things can, including:

Drinking mostly sugary or acidic drinks, including juices and sports drinks
Carrying a bottle or sippy cup with milk or juice all day or sleeping with one
Sucking and chewing on teething biscuits
All day snacking or grazing, especially on sticky foods like raisins
Sharing toothbrushes with someone who has a current oral infection
Medications such as asthma inhalers (These necessary treatments contain acids that can damage teeth. Rinse with water after each use.)
Vomiting
Clenching and grinding
Not keeping up with professional cleanings
Allowing very young children to brush their own teeth
The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. If you aren’t a superhero, your child might just develop a cavity or other oral health problem or infection.

This is all pretty serious stuff when you consider how much oral health issues affect overall health, even affecting their growth. In addition, toothaches and other oral health issues can affect your child’s performance in school and be a major factor in missed school days – and missed work days for parents!

Good thing The Smile Place can fix those smiles with tooth-colored, restorative materials that are safe for your little one’s body!

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Periodontal Treatment

Lots of people never really think about their gums. Until they hurt, it can be easy to overlook these essential foundations of oral health – especially in kids. We help them brush and floss, take them to the dentist for regular checkups, and make sure they aren’t sipping soda all day, but how often do we look at their gums? Parents should check their little ones’ gums on a regular basis and offer this symptom list to their teenagers so they can keep an eye on their gums themselves.

Why? Gums not only hold teeth in place, they protect the roots of your teeth and the tooth roots and, in fact, your whole body from germs and other irritants that enter your child’s mouth every day. But if these tissues become infected, they are not only not protecting your children’s health, they could be actually contributing to all kinds of health issues including lowering their immune systems.

Clearly, gum or periodontal, disease is nothing to ignore. Unfortunately, gum disease can start very quietly, with barely noticeable symptoms. We recommend that you check your little one’s gums with regularity at home, offer tips to your teenager for maintaining and checking gum health, and see us for your regularly scheduled family dental exams.

Watch Closely for These Symptoms of Gum Disease:
Bleeding when brushing or flossing
Puffiness or tenderness of the gums
Bad breath
Loose-feeling teeth
If any of these symptoms are present in your child’s mouth, call The Smile Place right away. We can help.

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