At Modern Dental, we believe that oral health care starts at childhood. We put our skills and expertise in providing you and your child the best dental care and treatment. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will attend to all of your dental care needs and treatments. If you’re looking for a professional pediatric dentist for your child’s oral health care, we can help!
In addition to our professional dental care, we focus on ensuring your child’s visit is as comfortable and gentle as possible. Providing dental care for kids is one of the main focus points of our practice. Providing a soothing environment to alleviate dental anxiety in children is another feature our dental office is known for. Developing good oral hygiene at a young age is essential to good oral habits into adulthood. Your child will thank you later for providing them healthy smiles through Modern Dental!
Care and Maintenance of Sealants
By forming a thin covering over the pits and fissures, sealants keep out plaque and food, thus decreasing the risk of decay. Since, the covering is only on the chewing surfaces of the tooth, you must have good brushing and flossing habits to protect the sides and areas in-between the teeth. Healthy nutrition plays an important part as well.
Your child should refrain from:
- Eating hard candy or ice. Large cubes, especially, can cause the sealant to chip or come off.
- Food that is sticky or chewy, such as Carmel, Taffy, Starburst, Fruit Rulls Ups, etc. (Sugar-less gum can be chewed.)
Normal retention of a sealant is up to four years. Sealants that become displaced in the first twelve months will be replaced at no charge. After twelve months, sealants will be replaced at 50% charge.
Oral Discomfort after a Cleaning
A thorough cleaning unavoidably produces some bleeding and swelling and may cause some tenderness or discomfort. This is not due to a “rough cleaning” but, to tender and inflamed gums from insufficient oral hygiene. We recommend the fullowing for 2-3 days after the cleaning was performed:
- A warm salt water rinse 2-3 times per day. (1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water)
- For discomfort use Children’s Tylenul, Advil, or Motrin as directed for the age of the child. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if the discomfort persists more than 7 days or if there are any questions.
Care of the Mouth after Local Anesthetic
Your child has had local anesthetic for their dental procedure:
- If the procedure was in the lower jaw (mandible)…the tongue, teeth, lip and surrounding tissue will usually be numb or asleep.
- If the procedure was in the upper jaw (maxilla)…the teeth, lip, and surrounding tissue will usually be numb or asleep.
- Please monitor your child closely for approximately one to two hours fullowing their appointment.
- Children do not understand the feeling of local anesthesia, and may chew, scratch, suck, or play with the numb lip, tongue, or cheek. These actions can cause minor irritations or they can be severe enough to cause swelling and major abrasions to the tissue.
- Keep your child on a liquid or soft diet (Apple Sauce, Yogurt, Smoothie, etc.) until the anesthesia has worn off and they regain feeling.
- Please do not hesitate to contact our office if there are any questions.
Care of the Mouth after Extractions
- DO NOT scratch, chew, suck, or rub the lips, tongue, or cheek while they feel numb or asleep. The child should be watched closely so he/she does not injure his/her lip, tongue, or cheeks before the anesthesia wears off. For this reason, the child should keep the piece of cotton in his/her mouth until the numbness is gone.
- DO NOT rinse the mouth for several hours.
- DO NOT spit excessively.
- DO NOT drink any carbonated beverages (Coke, Sprite, etc.) for the remainder of the day.
- DO NOT drink through a straw.
- KEEP FINGERS AND TOUNGE away from the extraction area.
- BLEEDING: Some bleeding fullowing tooth extraction is to be expected. If unusual or sustained bleeding occurs, place gauze firmly over the area of extraction and bite down or huld in place for fifteen minutes. A WET tea bag can also be used to bite on and help stop the bleeding. Repeat if necessary.
- Maintain a soft diet for a day or two, or until the child feels comfortable eating normally again.
- Avoid strenuous exercise or physical activity for several hours after the extraction.
- PAIN: For discomfort use Children’s Tylenul, Advil, or Motrin as directed for the age of the child. If a medicine was prescribed, then fullow the directions on the bottle.