How do you protect your child’s smile? Like adults, children require routine care to avoid tooth decay and other oral health concerns. Otherwise, even at a young age poor oral health can lead to discomfort and premature tooth loss. Fortunately, we offer preventive treatments and can also educate you and your child on proper oral maintenance to help ensure a lifetime of healthy smiles.
Routine Visits
When your little one’s first baby tooth erupts then you need to bring your child into the office. After the initial visit, your child should see the doctor once every six months. Routine visits offer a number of benefits for kids, including:
- Reduced dental anxiety
- Opportunity for thorough checkups, including the use of digital x-rays
- Cleanings and other preventive treatments
- The chance to identify a problem and treat it in the earliest stages
Quality Homecare
Does your child brush and floss regularly? Like you, your little one needs to brush twice a day for two minutes each session. Children with more than one erupted baby tooth need to floss as well. You can help them by gently use a floss pick until they are old enough to use floss tape properly. For babies, you should always avoid laying them down for sleep or a nap with a bottle of milk, juice, or formula, as this increases the risk of serious tooth decay, also known as baby bottle syndrome. In addition, if your toddler sucks his/her thumb, then we recommend taking steps to stop this bad habit before it leads to misalignment. We can provide information on proper dental maintenance and even tips to make the experience more fun for your children.
Preventive Treatments
Occasionally, a child may have a higher risk of developing decay. We can recommend preventive treatments to help strengthen your child’s defenses against cavities. We can perform a fluoride treatment or place dental sealants. A dental sealant coats the back teeth and prevents food from becoming stuck between then, reducing the chances of cavities occurring. If you have any questions about our approach to children’s dentistry or any of our preventive treatments then please contact our office today.
