As parents and students are gearing up for back to school this fall, be sure that your children’s dental check-up and cleaning in our office are on the “to-do” list! Did you know tooth decay in children’s teeth is one of the most common chronic diseases in children? With regularly scheduled dental hygiene appointments it can be prevented.

Untreated cavities can spread decay to adjacent teeth and grow deeper into the affected tooth. This can lead to significant pain and potentially serious infection. Teeth can look perfectly healthy even when small cavities are forming between them. Before children experience any pain, we can detect these cavities on x-ray images in their hygiene check-ups. Fluoride and sealants may also be recommended for your child to protect teeth and avoid cavities before they have a chance to start.

Our Safety Protocols

At Brookline Dental Specialists we have always ensured the highest standards of safety for you and your child. Dental offices were required to maintain very strict hygiene practices, even before the COVID pandemic began. We have implemented additional comprehensive measures to protect our patients, our doctors, and the entire team in the office from COVID-19. Minimizing risk and safely providing the care necessary to help keep you and your family members as healthy as possible is our top priority.

Hand Sanitizing/Hand Washing

Our team is following all CDC, ADA, and OSHA best practices and guidelines for handwashing and glove changing to minimize the risk of cross-contamination. Hand sanitizer is available throughout the office for patient use and patients are encouraged to use it frequently during their visits.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Comprehensive PPE is utilized in our office including gloves, masks, and safety glasses, as well as face shields when needed. We utilize disposable surgical gowns and maintain a physical separation in clinical and non-clinical areas. Safe Spacing in Reception/Social Distancing Social distancing can minimize the spread of infectious diseases. We have revised the layout of our reception area to safely accommodate a smaller number of people and frequently sanitize common areas between appointments. Patients are also welcome to call the desk when they arrive and wait in our parking lot until it is time for their pre-screening and check-in.

Sanitizing the Office

In our practice, we have always utilized surgical-grade, state-of-the-art sterilization equipment to clean the tools we use while providing care in the clinical setting. Toys and magazines have been removed from the reception area and in the treatment rooms to reduce the risk of spreading infectious viruses. All bathrooms, seating, doorknobs, and counters are periodically wiped down throughout the day to destroy any bacteria or viruses that may be present.

Patient Pre-Screening Protocol

All patients who have scheduled appointments with us are rigorously pre-screened before they come into the office. Our questionnaire includes questions about recent travel, potential exposure to COVID-19, and any symptoms you or your child may be experiencing including a dry cough, shortness of breath, or a fever. Anyone who has recently traveled to a high-risk area, or shows any signs of infection will be rescheduled for an appointment after a 14-day waiting period.

Schedule Your Overdue Dental Check-Ups TODAY!

We believe it is entirely safe, and more important than ever, for our patients of all ages to maintain their preventive dental care. Since the pandemic began early last spring we have noticed increases in tooth decay in children we see. Adult patients are experiencing more cracked teeth due to clenching and grinding their teeth. Keeping your regular appointments with the dentist can help address these issues before they lead to much bigger dental health problems down the line. We are now scheduling for the fall, we welcome new patients, and we offer convenient, family-friendly appointment times 7 days a week! Request an appointment with Brookline Dental Specialists today!

Teach Good Habits Early!

At Brookline Dental Specialists, we know that when children develop healthy eating and oral hygiene habits at a young age, they can continue those habits into the teenage years and even adulthood. The earlier the better in fact! As part of National Children’s Dental Health Month, we want to provide you with some insights and education that you can pass on to your children about proper oral care so they can start healthy, and stay healthy.

Healthy Habits at Home:

Brush twice a day, floss once a day, and replace your toothbrush every 3 months We replace the tires on our cars about every 50,000 miles so there is a good grip on the road and we stay safe. Did you know it is just as important to replace an old toothbrush to stay healthy? It all starts
with a good toothbrush. When we brush our children’s teeth twice a day, we are removing plaque and bacteria from their teeth and gums. Toothbrush bristles can also get frayed and flattened, which can reduce its ability to brush effectively. We recommend that you replace your family’s toothbrushes every 3 months.

We have a saying in dentistry: “Floss the teeth you want to keep!” Brushing cleans the part of your teeth you can see. But there is still plaque and bacteria beneath the gums and in between the teeth. It only takes an extra few seconds to floss your children’s teeth, and it will help prevent tooth decay caused by the food and bacteria that are not removed by brushing alone. And you only really need to floss once per day. The best time is at night just before bed. Teach your child to use floss picks too, it can also be a useful tool and can make it easy for children to floss on their own.

Electric Toothbrushes

Conventional manual toothbrushes have always worked very well when used properly. What we now know is that scientific research studies reveal that electric toothbrushes are more effective at cleaning teeth than manual toothbrushes. What’s more important, there are many fun electric toothbrushes available to motivate your children to brush their teeth! Some have timers and make sounds and feature cartoon characters children recognize. Kids like their “toys” and what better toy to give them than one that will improve their health?

Preventive Care for Kids in the Office: Benefits of Fluoride and Sealants Treatment

Fluoride helps keep our teeth strong and prevents tooth decay. Although there is a small amount of fluoride in toothpaste, we provide a special fluoride treatment in our office that enhances the strength of your children’s teeth. Another exceptional treatment for children is to place a small sealant on the top of the molars (the back, chewing teeth). Sealants smooth the surface and can prevent food and bacteria from building up in those hard to reach back teeth.

Get Regularly Scheduled Cleanings

It is important to bring your children to our office and have their teeth professionally cleaned every six months. Our hygienists will clean your children’s teeth and doctors will do a thorough examination with x-rays to see any possible issues and treat them before they can develop into an oral health concern. These regular check-ups are also a good time for ongoing education with your children on brushing, flossing, and healthy eating habits.

Back to school season is upon us! As school year routines resume it is a great time to set up great habits at home that teach kids to care for their teeth and overall oral health. Preventative measures like brushing teeth before bed and in the morning, learning about floss, and fluoride rinse can help your kids avoid decay and make dental visits a fun and positive experience. A back-to-school trip to the dentist is an excellent idea for parents to consider for starting their kids off on the right foot come autumn.

Doing a general checkup on your child’s teeth is the main priority of this visit. We will inspect the growth progress of your child’s teeth since their last visit; check the overall health of the teeth, gums, and roots; and also make sure the hard to reach spots have been attended to properly, like in the far back of the mouth and in between. Your hygienist may recommend a sealant procedure for your child’s teeth, which can be a huge help in the healthy development of teeth–a thin, often plastic material is coated over the child’s back molars, anywhere that teeth are used to chew. Combined with proper brushing and flossing, a sealant protects growing teeth from cavities. This makes life easier for both kids and parents! 

School sports season means protective gear and special equipment and should always include a custom mouthguard for your young athlete. In fact, in addition to uniforms, water bottles, and proper shoes, most sports programs also require kids to have a mouth guard before they play. Accidents happy, especially during the excitement of a game–no one wants to lose teeth from a wayward softball pitch, or poorly timed elbow to the face! Parents can choose from a variety of mouth guard options; ones that are pre-formed, and ones that are boiled to match the child’s bite can be found over the counter at the drugstore. These are a popular option due to the price and convenience. A custom-made mouthguard created in our office offers more protection and is highly recommended. 

We can simply take an impression of your child’s teeth at a routine visit to be sent to a dental lab, where the guard will be carefully crafted to match the bite. This method, executed by trained professionals, is much more reliable than the do-it-yourself method–it ensures that your child’s teeth are as protected as possible. The fit and feel of the mouth guard is the best possible, and are preferred by professional athletes. The materials used to create these mouth guards are also superior to those found over the counter, and can reliably protect teeth for a full season of rigorous play. Our Playsafe guards can be made in a wide array of colors so we can match school uniforms or complement team colors!

A back to school dental checkup added to your fall to do list can help re-establish good dental health care routines and habits, provide preventative care to help your kids avoid cavities and decay, and customize a new sports mouth guard. All ways you can help your child have a lifetime of healthy teeth!