The Haring Dental Group

Most parents of teenage patients ask if their child really needs to have their wisdom teeth removed and if yes, then when.  There is no set answer – we evaluate each patient’s needs before determining if and when wisdom teeth must be removed.

Wisdom teeth, the third and final set of molars, usually appear in your late teens or early twenties. Although some people have no problems, often wisdom teeth are misaligned or impacted and require removal. Misaligned teeth can position themselves horizontally, be angled toward or away from other teeth or can create crowding or damage to adjacent teeth.  An impacted tooth, one that partially erupts through the gum, allows an opening for bacteria to enter around the tooth, which may cause infection.

As with all treatment at Haring Dental Group, each patient’s needs are considered individually; there is no specific age where we automatically recommend wisdom teeth should be extracted. During regular checkup visits we will examine the patient’s mouth and X-rays looking fore any potential misalignment issues or impactment. Based on examinations we will discuss options for your child’s treatment plan.

At Haring Dental Group we know that state-of-the-art dental technologies allow us to give patients a high level of dental healthcare and greater patient comfort. We use only digital, intraoral X-ray technology because they are an excellent diagnostic tool, are better for our patients and better for the environment.

Digital X-rays are faster and more efficient than traditional radiographs. First, an electronic sensor (instead of film) is placed in the patient’s mouth to capture the image. The digital image is then relayed to a computer, where it is available for viewing. The procedure is much faster than processing conventional film. The sensor is more sensitive to X-rays than film is so the radiation dose is greatly reduced.  Because there are no films, there are no chemicals used for processing, which means no chemicals to dispose.

Intraoral X-rays  provide a lot of detail and allow our dentists to find cavities, check the health of the tooth root and bone surrounding the tooth, check the status of developing teeth, and monitor the general health of your teeth and jawbone.

Using great diagnostic tools allows Dr. Haring, Dr. Sophie and Dr. Kelly to provide focused dental healthcare.  Giving patients the best care possible is what we do, and we love it!

To help protect the chewing surfaces of the back teeth – pre-molars and  molars – we may recommend applying a sealant to your child’s teeth. Made of plastic material, the sealant is “painted” on teeth where bonds directly to the tooth and hardens.

A sealant acts as a barrier, protecting enamel from plaque and acids. As long as the sealant remains intact, the tooth surface will be protected from decay. Sealants hold up well under the force of normal chewing and usually last several years before a reapplication is needed.

Because the likelihood of developing tooth decay which leads to cavities begins early in life, children and teens are perfect candidates for sealant application. But adults can benefit from sealants, too.  You are never too old or too young to prevent cavities!

Dr. Haring, Dr. Sophie and Dr. Kelly can share additional information about sealants and all the ways we can work together to help your child stay cavity free for life.