Preventive Dentistry – St. Catharines, ON
How We Keep Their Smile Safe
Rather than just fixing your child’s oral health problems as they pop up (which can be expensive), our dental team takes a proactive approach using preventive dentistry. With routine appointments, we can often stop cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss before they happen, plus we can minimize existing dental issues before they turn into big, painful problems. For parents, these options for preventive dentistry in St. Catharines, ON offer peace of mind and help them spend less on their child’s care. To get started, all you need to do is contact us today to schedule their next dental checkup and teeth cleaning.
Why Choose Coral Kids Dentistry & Braces
for Preventive Dentistry?
- Dental Office Led by Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist
- Dental Anesthesiologist on Staff
- Fun & Colorful Dental Office with State-of-the-Art Technology
Dental Checkups & Teeth Cleanings
Your child’s first checkup and cleaning will mostly revolve around helping them feel comfortable in the unfamiliar environment of the dental office, and once they acclimate, we can move on to examining their teeth. This allows us to monitor their oral development, address problems as they arise, and remove plaque and tartar from hard-to-reach areas before they can lead to cavities. Plus, these appointments give you and your child the opportunity to ask our team any questions you might have.
Learn More About Dental Checkups & Cleanings
Dental Sealants
The back teeth have fissures that tend to trap plaque and food particles, making them particularly susceptible to developing cavities. Just like a cracked road, we can essentially “pave over” these teeth using dental sealants, which involve applying a thin layer of tooth-colored resin to the chewing surfaces. This shields the teeth and drastically reduces the probability of decay in the most vulnerable teeth.
Silver Diamine Fluoride
You might know that fluoride can help strengthen teeth, but what is silver diamine fluoride? It is essentially a drill-free solution to tooth decay. When applied to a cavity, the silver kills the bacteria causing the damage, and the fluoride helps remineralize and preserve the enamel. This approach is quick, painless, and enables us to keep the dreaded drill safely tucked away.
Behaviour Desensitizing
Common habits like thumb/finger-sucking and tongue-thrusting can cause pressure to be applied to the incoming teeth, which can mess with their alignment and create orthodontic issues. Over time, they can also interfere with jaw growth. If you notice your child engaging in any of these behaviours, let our team know, and we’ll offer proven strategies to help them stop while minimizing stress for both you and them.
Laser Frenectomies
If a child has a lip or tongue-tie that is interfering with their ability to speak, eat, or breathe, we can remove the offending tissue quickly with a soft tissue laser. This instrument makes it easy for the doctor to work with little mouths, plus it’s able to shrink the treatment area so that the surrounding oral tissue is left untouched. This makes the procedure more comfortable and also reduces post-treatment soreness and bleeding to practically zero.
Learn More About Lip & Tongue-Tie
Pulp Therapy
Usually, if a tooth develops decay, it only affects the outer layer, or enamel. But sometimes the infection is able to reach the inner sensitive portion called the pulp. This is where the nerve of a tooth is located, and problems here can cause quite a lot of pain. With pulp therapy, we’re able to stop this pain and save the tooth by removing the infected pulp and leaving the healthy portion behind, which allows the tooth to keep functioning like normal.
Special Needs Dentistry
Ongoing preventive dental care is important for every child, but that’s particularly true for ones with special needs. Our team has a lot of experience treating patients with various physical, mental, sensory, and behavioral special needs, and because of our sedation options, we’re able to calm even the most severe dental nerves. Just give us a call, and we’ll go over how we can make sure your child’s next dental visit is a smooth experience.
Fluoride Treatment
As part of your child’s regular dental cleanings, we’ll apply a highly-concentrated fluoride gel to their teeth. This will not only fortify their smile against decay, but it will repair any areas of weakened enamel as well. This fluoride exposure is several times more compared to what they get through toothpaste and tap water, and it will offer them an extra layer of protection that will last all the way to their next checkup.
Space Maintainers
A child’s baby teeth have many important functions, and one of them is serving as guides to ensure the adult teeth come in straight. However, if a baby tooth is lost too soon, the surrounding teeth can actually start to shift toward the gap, potentially blocking the incoming adult tooth. To stop this from happening, we can place a small space maintainer in a child’s mouth so that they won’t develop orthodontic issues down the road.