Child Dentistry

Your Child’s First Visit

When your child turns three, they should have their first “regular” dental checkup. The initial dental checkup is typically brief and requires very little care. During the examination, we could ask you to hold your child while sitting on the dentist’s chair. In order to foster a relationship between your child and your dentist, you can also be asked to wait in the reception area for the duration of the appointment.

We will carefully check the teeth and gums of your child. To identify damage and monitor the development of your child’s permanent teeth behind the gums, X-rays could be obtained. To help shield your child’s teeth from disease, we might give them a dental cleaning and apply oral fluoride. We’ll see to it that your child gets enough fluoride at home. Above all, we will go over with you the proper methods for cleaning and taking care of your child’s teeth.

What Should I Tell My Child About The First Dental Visit?

This is a commonly asked question to us. We advise you to get your child ready in the same manner as you would before their first haircut or shoe purchase. You might be surprised by your child’s response to his first dental checkup.

During your first visit the dentist will:

Examine your mouth, teeth and gums.
Evaluate adverse habits like thumb sucking.
Check to see if you need fluoride.
Teach you about cleaning your teeth and gums.
Suggest a schedule for regular dental visits.

Here Are Some “First Visit” Tips:

Take your child for a “preview” of the office.
Read books with them about going to the dentist.
Review with them what the dentist will be doing at the time of the first visit.
Speak positively about your own dental experiences.

What About Preventative Care?

Children and tooth decay do not have to go hand in hand anymore. Every aspect of preventive care is our top priority at the office. We protect your child’s teeth with the most modern innovations in dental sealant technology. Modern polymers called dental sealants are attached to the chewing surfaces of back teeth that are susceptible to decay. This is just one of the ways we’ll lay the basis for your kid to have healthy teeth for the rest of their lives.

Cavity Prevention

Most of the time cavities are due to a diet high in sugary foods and a lack of brushing. Limiting sugar intake and brushing regularly, of course, can help. The longer it takes your child to chew their food and the longer the residue stays on their teeth, the greater the chances of getting cavities.

Every time someone eats, an acid reaction occurs inside their mouth as the bacteria digests the sugars. This reaction lasts approximately 20 minutes. During this time the acid environment can destroy the tooth structure, eventually leading to cavities.

Consistency of a person’s saliva also makes a difference; thinner saliva breaks up and washes away food more quickly. When a person eats diets high in carbohydrates and sugars they tend to have thicker saliva, which in turn allows more of the acid-producing bacteria that can cause cavities.

Tips For Cavity Prevention

Limit frequency of meals and snacks.
Encourage brushing, flossing and rinsing.
Watch what your child drinks.
Avoid giving your child sticky foods.
Make treats part of meals.
Choose nutritious snacks.

The first baby teeth that come into the mouth are the two bottom front teeth. You will notice this when your baby is about 6-8 months old. Next to follow will be the 4 upper front teeth and the remainder of your baby’s teeth will appear periodically. They will usually appear in pairs along the sides of the jaw until the child is about 2 1/2 years old.

At around 2 1/2 years old your child should have all 20 teeth. Between the ages of 5 and 6 the first permanent teeth will begin to erupt. Some of the permanent teeth replace baby teeth and some don’t. Don’t worry if some teeth are a few months early or late as all children are different.

Baby teeth are important as they not only hold space for permanent teeth but they are important to chewing, biting, speech and appearance. For this reason it is important to maintain a healthy diet and daily hygiene.