The Dental Checkup: The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Child’s Smile

At Mona Dental for Kids, we provide the best possible start for pediatric patients in Spring, Texas, and the surrounding area. Oral health is a journey. It requires a combination of consistently good care at home and professional visits to our dentist, Dr. Mona Houshiar. 

All patients should visit us at least twice yearly – once every six months. During the “checkup,” Dr. Houshiar takes a peek inside your child’s mouth. She assesses the condition of the teeth, gums, jaw joints, and other tissues and structures and also looks for signs of potential problems. 

Oral conditions like tooth decay and gum disease are insidious; often, in their early stages, they do not produce any symptoms. Or, the symptoms are so subtle they may be easy to ignore. Dr. Houshiar has the training to detect what might otherwise be missed. These conditions are progressive. So, if they are not detected and resolved correctly, they can worsen. Severe damage may be irreparable and lead to the loss of the tooth and other supportive tissues. 

What Dr. Houshiar cannot see with her eyes or feel by touch alone, she can pinpoint by using safe and sophisticated digital x-rays or imaging. For patients with active disease, more frequent checkups may be necessary. Follow-up appointments may also be needed to evaluate how well therapies and other interventions work to heal diseased gums and teeth that have sustained damage like enamel erosion. 

Such preventative visits are also opportunities to provide fluoride therapy and dental sealants to get ahead of problems. Fluoride is a safe way to support the protective armor of the teeth: enamel. It can also help remineralize teeth that have lost some of their beneficial minerals. 

Sealants protect the back teeth (premolars and molars) from cavities and tooth decay. These back teeth are at greater risk of developing damage not only because of their location but also because the surface of each tooth features pits and grooves. Food may become trapped in these areas. Starches and sugars in our foods that are not correctly removed promote destructive bacterial plaque. 

Our hygienists at Mona Dental for Kids also play a vital role in minimizing the risk of cavities and gum disease. They use special instruments and a skilled and gentle technique to remove stubborn plaque build-up from the teeth and at the gum line. 

If your child is due for a checkup, call our office in Spring, TX, today at (832) 662-3008.