Setting a healthy foundation for a lifetime of smiles with Children’s cleanings and exams

In dental circles, you often hear discussion of “risk factors” for destructive oral conditions such as tooth decay, gum disease, and oral and pharyngeal cancers. However, at Innovative Dental Care, we emphasize the positives and forward-thinking measures, those “protective factors” that prevent the development of these, and other threats to our oral health and overall wellbeing.

One of the most critical “protective factors” is oral hygiene. As a family dental practice, we partner with patients of all ages throughout Omaha, Nebraska, and the greater metro area. But, ideally, this journey starts in childhood.

Children’s cleanings and exams represent professional oral hygiene. Such professional care, provided by our dentist, Creighton grad Dr. Summer Gutschow, and skilled dental hygienists, must be complemented by good oral hygiene at home. So, in addition to cleaning and examining your child’s mouth, these routine appointments also provide opportunities for us to discuss and demonstrate ways to more effectively brush, floss, and care for the teeth and gums at home.

Generally, if your child is otherwise healthy, appointments are scheduled once every six months (two times per year). This routine will continue into adulthood, as long as active oral disease or other changes do not present new challenges to oral health that require more frequent visits.

Cleanings

Our dental hygienists use specialized tools to gently remove surface stains, plaque, bacteria, and stubborn plaque build-up (tartar or calculus) from the teeth and at the gum line during these visits. Throughout treatment, our team will speak with your child in a way that they can clearly understand and that doesn’t instill fear or scare them.

Comprehensive exams

Dr. Summer uses this same warm, kind, and non-judgmental approach to gently evaluate the state of your child’s teeth, gums, and oral tissues. She takes x-rays using safe digital imaging technologies or non-invasive and comfortable intraoral cameras as needed. These technologies may be used to rule out conditions accurately or pinpoint problems early into the disease process, when the symptoms may be subtle or “silent” (non-existent!). Early diagnostics and intervention support non-traumatic, fast, successful, and conservative treatment.

Tailored preventive services

In addition to dentist-approved oral care products and techniques, during these exam and cleaning visits, Dr. Summer can also move forward with preventative services. These processes may include the application of dental sealants to protect back teeth, which are prone to decay, or safe fluoride supplementation to keep the tooth’s protective armor (enamel) strong.

Is your child due for a dental visit? Please don’t delay to contact us today to book an appointment. Innovative Dental Care can be reached at (402) 933-8005. We welcome your call and look forward to answering any questions you may have!