What Your Dentist Is Looking For During Your Child's Visit

Think that your kid doesn't need to go to a dentist because their teeth look fine? If so, you may not be aware of all of the things that your dentist is looking for during a checkup. Here is what will be done during your child's next dental visit.

Teaching Preventative Care

The dentist is not just an opportunity to have your kid's teeth inspected, but it can also be a learning experience as well. The dentist will take the time to teach your kid the proper brushing techniques that they should be doing at home, and your kid may actually listen because it is coming from a professional and not their parents. If the dentist notices parts of their teeth that have more plaque than others, they may offer brushing techniques that help clean those problem areas.

Inspecting Permanent Teeth As They Come In

If your child is still having adult teeth that are coming in, your dentist will want to take a close look at those to make sure that they are coming in properly. This is done by using x-rays to look under the gums and predict potential problems before they may be apparent to you. Even if a baby tooth has fallen out, the dentist can look at how far behind that adult tooth is. If it does not look like the adult tooth will erupt any time soon, the dentist might recommend using a spacer to maintain the gap between their teeth so that there are no problems later on.

Baby teeth often have notable gaps between them since they are quite small, with the adult teeth coming in much tighter with the surrounding teeth. A dentist will help identify potential spacing issues and deal with them before they become an issue that ruins the placement of the adult teeth. 

Evaluating Alignment Issues

Even if your child's teeth are perfectly healthy due to excellent brushing at home, there may be an alignment issue that needs to be evaluated. If the teeth are not connecting in the proper way to create a natural bite, it can lead to pain and discomfort later on. A dentist may recommend that your child receives an orthodontic treatment to prevent these bite alignment issues so that the corrections can be made sooner rather than later.

Ask your dentist about what else they will do during your child's semi-annual inspection. It may be surprising to you to learn what they do.

For more information, reach out to a family dentistry clinic in your area.