To ensure a lifetime of healthy smiles, it’s important to introduce your children to professional dental care from an early age, even as young as 2 or 3. Regular checkups from this age will allow them to feel comfortable in the chair, and help establish a friendly relationship with the dentist and dental nurse.
At Logan Village Dental, we aim to help teach you the best strategies to keep your families teeth healthy. It’s always important to remember that prevention is better than a cure, and with this in mind we have a strong focus on preventative advice during our regular six monthly checkups. Using the latest in digital dental technology, your family will be shown exactly what they are doing right, or wrong, and where they need to make some changes.
Children need to brush twice a day using a small, soft toothbrush with a pea sized amount of toothpaste. Children from about three years of age should be encouraged to do some of the tooth brushing themselves so that they develop tooth brushing skills. We recommend that some adult assistance is important until they are at least 6 or 7 years old. They should be encouraged to eat nutritious healthy snacks and limit sweet sugary foods, especially between meals. Drinking water rather than sugary drinks when thirsty is also highly recommended.
Here are a few things you may not know:
- Children’s primary (baby) teeth are important as they play a vital role in achieving a healthy diet, and learning to speak
- The primary teeth also keep the correct spaces for the permanent (adult) teeth to move into later on
- Prolonged thumb sucking habits cause the front teeth and surrounding bone to be pushed out of shape. If this habit continues into preschool years, it can cause developmental abnormalities in the future, and therefore some form of intervention is usually recommended.
In some children we may recommend fissure sealants. Fissure sealants are used to prevent decay in the deep grooves of your back teeth. Sometimes the fissures (grooves) can be so narrow not even a toothbrush bristle can clean it properly. Fissure sealants are a preventative treatment and are quick and painless. They are a tooth coloured resin that is bonded in the grooves of the teeth to prevent decay.
If your child is nervous about visiting the dentist then it is important that we all work together to make it a pleasant experience. We like to start with simple things on their first visit, which is why it is so important to bring your children to the dentist before problems arise.
Kids pick up on so much so it is very important not to share your fears of the dentist with them or let family or friends joke or tease them about their up coming visit.