The Importance of Preventative Dentistry for Children
When you first held your baby in your arms, you likely experienced the same sensation as many other parents. Your parental instincts likely kicked in and you felt an increasing need to protect this newborn baby. By now, that parental instinct has probably spread into all aspects of your life, which is great!
However, did you ever think that the same instincts should apply to caring for your child’s teeth? More often than not, we forget about how important it is to take care of our own teeth, let alone our children’s teeth. However, preventative dentistry for children is one of the most important things you can do to protect their overall health.
What’s the Big Deal?
What’s the big deal about taking your kids to the dentist on a regular basis, anyway? Their baby teeth are just going to fall out and be replaced by adult teeth, right? Unfortunately, many parents use this line of thinking to justify not taking their children to the dentist. This is dangerous and can cause permanent harm to your child’s oral health!
Your child’s oral care needs to start as soon as they get their first tooth. When you start early, you ensure a life of long-lasting oral health free from dental problems.
What Does Preventative Dentistry Mean?
Preventative dentistry is a term that might be a little intimidating to the new parent. Every pediatric dentist has one goal in mind for your child: to keep his or her mouth free from tooth decay and other oral health complications. Preventative pediatric dentistry aims to keep your child’s teeth free from plaque buildup, gum disease and tooth decay before any serious treatments are needed.
By preventing problems from ever happening, you are protecting your child in a way that has positive effects throughout his or her whole body. Poor oral health can lead to other complications in your child’s body, so preventing problems creates a more comprehensive protection for your child.
What Does Preventative Dentistry Involve?
Prevention might seem like an exhausting and extensive process. However, it’s much easier to prevent oral disease and tooth decay than it is to treat those same problems. In order to provide the best preventative dentistry for your child, we recommend you bring them to the office at least once every six months, the same as we recommend for adults. This allows us to catch problems early and treat them before they become full-blown complications that require extensive treatment.
Preventative dentistry typically involves two major components: an examination and a professional cleaning. During the dental examination, we’ll look in your child’s mouth and check up on the progress of his or her tooth growth. It’s important that we make sure your child’s teeth are growing in properly. We usually take X-rays as well to monitor progress and get the full picture.
Next comes the professional cleaning. During the cleaning, we use our sophisticated dental equipment to remove plaque buildup and teach your child how to form valuable dental habits. In the end, your child walks out the door with clean teeth and you leave with the knowledge that your child’s mouth is healthy.
Set Up an Appointment Today
If you feel like you’re behind with your child’s dental care, don’t worry! You can always catch up, but don’t wait any longer. It’s important that you set up a dental appointment today for your child. Remember that preventing oral health problems is always easier—and less expensive—than treating them. Your local Idaho Falls dentist is always taking new patients, and can help everyone in your family, from age 1 to 99.