Oral care is a very important aspect of general health care. In fact many times, a trip to the dentist could lead to the discovery of a deeper medical issue that may have otherwise gone unaddressed. We learn from a young age that daily brushing and flossing is key to good oral hygiene, but for some reason, dental health too often ends up being one of the most neglected. There are many misconceptions about oral health. One such misconception is that because children eventually lose their baby teeth, it is not that important to worry about dental health during the years that baby teeth are present. A good dentist for kids would be able to tell you that a good dental health regimen is important early on.
The importance of early dental care
Pediatric dental services are a crucial element to the overall health of your child. While it is true that your child will lose those baby teeth and should take good care of the adult teeth that come in after, this is not a reason to be lax with dental hygiene during the early years. Regular visits for pediatric dental care should begin as early as the age of one. But home dental care will begin even earlier than that. Many children start to show their first teeth around the age of four months old. Right at the beginning, you could choose to use something soft and gentle like a washcloth to clean those little baby teeth, and when more teeth grow in, you could switch to a mini toothbrush.
Quality and thorough pediatric orthodontics and dental care are important for many reasons. Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to find the right dentist for kids is the fact that those baby teeth are placeholders for the adult teeth that will eventually come in. If those baby teeth are not taken care of, and significant damage occurs, this can lead to significant dental problems down the road as well.
The right dental pediatrician
Finding a good dentist for kids is about more than just taking care of those few teeth that begin to pop up at a time. A good dentist for children will know how to interact with those little versions of us, and remember that life looks a lot different through the eyes of a child. There are plenty of adults who avoid going to the dentist, or who might even be a bit afraid to do so. So making a dental visit feel safe and painless for a child can take some significant effort. You will want a skilled dentist, one who can tell you when is the appropriate age to start using fluoride toothpaste with your young one. But you also want a dentist who can relate to your child, and make the whole process as smooth as possible.
Children learn by example. So take care of your own teeth, and guide your little ones to follow in your footsteps so that they can show off those happy, healthy smiles for years to come.