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Pediatric Services

Our Pediatric Services

At West Roxbury Smiles, we believe early dental care can promote a lifetime of healthy smiles for your child.

Examinations, Cleaning and X-Ray

During examination of your child’s teeth, your West Roxbury Smiles pediatric dentist will use pediatric dental tools. We will share and discuss our findings with you and your child.

Your child’s teeth will be gently cleaned on his first visit. We will ensure that your child is comfortable during the cleaning.

X-rays are important as they aid in proper diagnosis and evaluation of your child’s dental problems, such as erupted teeth for cavities, the gums for infection, and the other mouth tissues for any abnormalities. Furthermore, we will assess any effects of childhood habits such as thumb sucking, pacifier use, or prolonged use of the baby bottle. If the pediatric dentist deems it necessary, we will take x-rays of your child’s teeth, limiting exposure to minimum, to ensure proper diagnosis.

At the end of your child’s visit, your child’s pediatric dentist will thoroughly discuss all of the findings, the necessary or required treatment plan, including all the dental issues relevant to protecting and promoting your child’s dental health.

How can parents help prevent cavities?

Good oral hygiene is key! By swiping bacteria and food particles from your infant’s mouth (use a wet gauze square wrapped around a clean finger or a clean, wet washcloth) this eliminates the perfect environment for cavities. Once your child begins getting teeth, brush them at least twice daily with a pea-sized amount of ‘toddler toothpaste’. Babies who take a bottle to bed should be given water (not milk or formula) as these tend to ‘pool’ in the mouth and may cause dental problems.

Healthy eating leads to healthy teeth! Just as the human body needs nutrition, the teeth, bones and soft tissues of the mouth need a well-balanced diet. Children should eat a variety of foods from the major food groups and avoid snacks containing sugar.

Visits to the dentist every six months or as your pediatric dentist recommends are critical to dental health and preventing cavities and dental problems. Your pediatric dentist can tell you how often your child should visit based on his or her personal oral health.

Protective Sealants may also be of benefit to your child as they grow in the prevention of cavities. Sealants are applied to your child’s permanent molars giving them far better protection from decay as these teeth often have hard-to-clean surfaces.

Early education and regular check-ups will provide your child a lifetime of optimal dental health and good oral hygiene. If you live in or around West Roxbury, you can contact our office at 617.327.4321 with any questions you may have regarding your child’s first dental visit.