New Patients
Have All Your Questions Answered With St. Johnsbury Dental
At St. Johnsbury Dental Associates, we strive to keep our patients in the know throughout each dental visit. We are happy to provide an array of dental services including crowns, teeth whitening, routine exams, and more, across The Northeast Kingdom, Vermont & New Hampshire.
Our patients must be informed about preventative dental care and potential risks regarding their oral health.
Pediatric Dental FAQ’s
If you are a parent and are nervous about your child’s first dental visit, St. Johnsbury Dental Associates is here to provide you with answers.
It is important to start your child’s dental visit as soon as their first tooth erupts. There are several reasons why. We can evaluate and promote beneficial, healthy dental care habits and make sure that there are no dental issues on the first visit.
X-rays should be taken as often as every 12 months or every 36 months. Cavities can be detected on an X-ray, and since children need to be carefully monitored for cavities, regular X-rays are an essential part of every child’s dental care.
Once teeth appear in the mouth, decay can occur. For babies, they can start to get bottle rot on their teeth, which is the earliest form of childhood decay. Liquids can accumulate around the teeth during sleep, where acids build up and start the deterioration.
Sealants are usually applied to the chewing surfaces of back teeth and are sometimes used to cover deep pits and grooves. You can protect your child’s teeth with sealants because they are barriers to cavity-prone areas.
Thumb sucking can affect the roof of the mouth or how the teeth line up. The risk of dental problems is related to how often, how long, and how intensely your child sucks on his or her thumb. Try addressing the issue before the child reaches the age of three.
Dental FAQ’s
When it comes to dental care procedures, much can be left unsaid.
At St. Johnsbury Dental Associates, we want to keep you informed on what you will experience here.
There is only so much that we can see in a visual examination of your mouth. X-rays are a surefire way to examine your mouth as a whole and uncover any potential issues that we cannot see from a visual exam.
There are usually time limits on services covered by your insurance. X-rays, fillings on the same tooth, crowns, and bridges on the same tooth, or fluoride treatments for children, can all have time limits. Contact us to discuss exactly what your insurance policy covers!
An x-ray imaging exam usually takes no longer than 15 minutes, maybe 30 minutes. The amount of time it takes usually depends on what exact imaging exam we are performing and what we are looking for.
A dental x-ray exam should never cause any pain. If anything, it may be a little awkward and uncomfortable but it is a fairly short procedure that should not cause any harm.
Periodontal disease is a serious gum infection that can greatly affect the mouth as a whole. The average treatment is usually just professionally cleaning the pockets around the teeth to prevent damage to the surrounding bone. In advanced cases, surgery may be an option.
