Start this school year with a dazzling smile.

It’s about that time for new backpacks, snazzy outfits, and a professional dental cleaning to start the school year right. Stephen J. Spencer, DDS, and his team are ready to get your child prepared for the new school year with a dental evaluation and cleaning. Our Great Falls, Montana, office is ready to take appointments and get your child ready to start the year smiling.

The Importance of a Dental Checkup

A dental checkup is part of preventative dental care, which means biannual dental checkups are important to maintain a healthy smile. Preventative dental checkups allow Dr. Stephen J. Spencer to evaluate your child’s mouth to look for any dental issues, like cavities or plaque, and also assist Dr. Spencer in monitoring the growth of your child’s mouth and jaw to ensure their adult teeth are coming in properly. If teeth aren’t properly aligned, it can cause problems with speech, as well as eating and speaking.

Benefits of a Back-to-School Checkup

Just like it is important to have regular checkups with your doctor, it’s important to have regular checkups with your dentist. Since a dental checkup can detect any dental issues your child may have, why not make one of their two annual dental appointments before school starts? This appointment can make sure your child doesn’t have any issues with their teeth or mouth. When left untreated, dental issues can cause pain, which may leave your child distracted in class.

Having to make a dental appointment during the school year to address these problems could take them out of the classroom for the appointment, meaning they are missing out on valuable learning time.

Professional dental cleaning as part of a regular back-to-school dental checkup can also boost the confidence of your child. A professional dental cleaning leaves the teeth polished, making your child’s smile more dazzling. This can make them feel more confident in their smile, and raise their self-esteem. A freshly polished set of teeth is also something your child will want to show off, which can make for a great back-to-school photo when it is time for picture day to happen!

What happens during a dental checkup?

A dental checkup at Stephen J. Spencer, DDS, is about preventative care, and we focus on evaluating your child’s mouth and professionally cleaning their teeth. During an evaluation, a set of dental X-rays will be taken. The X-rays allow Dr. Spencer to see what’s going on inside your child’s teeth and determine if there are any hidden cavities or other dental issues that need to be addressed. Dr. Spencer will then perform a thorough evaluation of your child’s mouth to see the status of their teeth up close.

After an evaluation has been performed, your child’s teeth will be professionally cleaned and polished by a member of our talented and caring staff.

After the dental evaluation, Dr. Spencer may recommend additional dental treatments to help keep your child’s teeth healthy during the school year. 

One additional treatment option is a fluoride treatment. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps to fortify and strengthen the dentin, or outside layer, of the tooth. A fluoride treatment is recommended for children to help keep their teeth healthy and less susceptible to cavities.

An additional treatment that the dentist may recommend for children is dental sealants. Dental sealants are a protective coating that is applied to the back molars of children to help seal them and keep cavities away. Dental sealants are recommended for children because it is harder for them to brush their molars. A dental sealant is applied in our office and can be done during your child’s biannual dental evaluation. This procedure is painless and done within a matter of minutes.

Prepare for the Dentist

If your child suffers from anxiety or has reservations about visiting the dentist, you can reassure them that there is no need to worry. Biannual dental evaluations are routine, and happen so that your child’s teeth can stay healthy.

If your child experiences anxiety, however, help them work through it. Find out why they are anxious. Talk with your child about the importance of regular checkups and how the dentist is there to keep their smiles happy. You can also work on breathing exercises to help keep your child calm during dental visits. We also advise you to discuss their concerns with their dentist. The team at Stephen J. Spencer, DDS, is skilled at ensuring a calm and comfortable dental visit for patients. 

Remember, a visit to the dentist is suggested to happen twice a year to help monitor your child’s dental health. Schedule a visit with our friendly team and tick one more to-do off your list. By making one of their annual visits part of their back-to-school routine, your child can have something to look forward to!