Dental Cleaning

Let Kids & Family Dental handle your child’s dental needs in Harrison and Livingston, NJ.

At Kids & Family Dental, we know how important it is to reinforce good dental habits in your children. Building those habits starts with frequent dental care, including regular X-rays and routine dental cleanings. 

While regular dental exams and cleanings are also important for adults, building good habits in children to prevent tooth decay and gum disease is also very important for long-term oral health. For this reason, it’s important to have a dentist offering cleanings and X-rays in New Jersey for your entire family. 

Routine Cleanings for Children

Routine dental cleanings for children are incredibly important for both short-term and long-term dental health. At Kids & Family Dental, we recommend routine cleanings at least every six months for growing children. 

When coupled with regular dental exams, routine cleanings accomplish multiple things for your child. First, the dentists and hygienists who work with your child will demonstrate to them when, where, and how to clean their teeth on their own. 

Second, routine cleanings are instrumental for keeping track of your children’s dental health. During each cleaning, a specialist will take a close look at your child’s teeth for signs of decay, gingivitis, periodontitis, an oral cancer screening, or anything else out of the ordinary. 

Finally, the deep cleaning offered by Kids & Family Dental will remove built-up plaque and bacteria, and if you would like, we can apply fluoride to strengthen your child’s teeth as well. 

X-Rays for Children

X-rays are incredibly important for monitoring your child’s oral development, just like routine cleanings, but for different reasons. Since your child’s mouth, jaw, and teeth change constantly as they grow, it becomes even more important to keep watch for tooth decay, impacted teeth, and other developing issues over time. 

You might feel apprehensive about exposing yourself or your child to the radiation that comes with X-rays. However, you will be pleased to know that today’s X-ray exams are several orders of magnitude safer than those of the past. A single one of our X-rays will expose you (or your child) to less radiation than one day spent outdoors in the sun. 

We generally recommend X-rays once every six months for children who are at high risk of developing cavities and tooth decay. However, if you don’t have dental insurance coverage or would prefer to save money, your teens or children who are at low risk for cavities may be able to go longer between exams. 

Benefits of X-Ray Exams

Like routine cleanings, X-rays are incredibly important for gauging and monitoring the status of your child’s oral health. They can help detect several issues, such as:

• Hidden tooth decay
• Extra teeth (i.e., wisdom teeth) before they cause problems
• Oral cancers, cysts, or tumors
• Oddly shaped, long, or misshapen roots in teeth

X-ray exams can help detect developing issues in the jaw and surrounding face as well. There are three types of X-rays that you and your child can undergo, each with differing levels of power and scope:

• Bitewing X-rays involve using a special reflector to take pictures of a small area of your child’s teeth. This type of X-ray is best for diagnosing cavities and other issues between the teeth that may not be visible to the naked eye. 
• Periapical X-rays focus on one specific tooth or area in its entirety, making them excellent for monitoring problem teeth, areas of decay or disease, or even issues with the surrounding facial bones. 

• Panoramic X-rays, as the name suggests, give the dentist a panoramic view of your child’s entire mouth. These X-rays are best for monitoring the health of the entire mouth, including wisdom teeth growth, tooth movement, and other abnormalities. 

The experts at Kids & Family dental will help you determine how often your child needs cleaning and X-ray in New Jersey, as well as what types of exams they may need. 

Why Your Child Needs a Cleaning and X-Ray Every Six Months

While we recommend regular checkups every six months for most children, especially those at high risk, not every child will require this level of maintenance. However, there is no such thing as too much preventative care—only too little.

When you or your child needs a cleaning and X-ray in New Jersey, turn to the caring and experienced professionals at Kids & Family Dental. We have offices in Livingston and Harrison, NJ, for your convenience. 

To make an appointment with Kids & Family Dental, call our dental offices at 973-597-1818 (Livingston) or 973-484-4200 (Harrison) today.