Why It's So Important to Take Young Children to the Dentist

Many people understand the importance of taking their young children to see the doctor. Whether it is for their first check-up or their first round of shots, it is viewed as one-hundred percent necessary. However, taking your little one to the dentist starting at a young age is equally as important.

Discovering that your child’s first tooth has come in may be an exciting milestone, but it is also a sign that there is a new aspect of their health to be monitored: their oral hygiene. Although we lose the first set of teeth we ever own, “baby teeth” are still suspect to cavities and resulting complications. This is an important reason why you should not only be helping your little one through the painful process of having their teeth come in, but also be monitoring the health of their teeth, mouth, and gums.

Now you might be wondering what you should be doing to make sure your child has the proper dental care they need. Surprisingly, it is not that different from your own. Being sure to clean their gums, incoming teeth, and any fully emerged teeth is a good place to start. However, by the time your child reaches the twelve-month mark, you should bring them in for their first dentist appointment. Your dentist will help give your child the care they need and teach you how to properly care for your child’s dental needs on a regular basis.

How the Dentist Can Help with At-Home Care

If you are unsure about what oral hygiene products to use while taking care of your child’s teeth, the dentist can answer your questions. During your child’s appointment, the dentist can inform you about the best toothpastes, toothbrushes, and teething products for your child and their specific needs.

Another important part of your child’s oral health is their diet. The dentist can advise you on what foods and drinks to avoid giving them in order to prevent early onset tooth decay. The dentist can also suggest healthier food and beverage alternatives, so you have a backup in case your little one leans towards requesting soda when going out to eat.

How the Dentist Can Help Your Child in Ways You Cannot

As a trained professional, your child’s dentist will monitor the aspects of oral health that you cannot see with your own eyes. During the appointment, they will take X-rays and use specialized tools to monitor your child’s teeth development, the health of their gums, and to search for any possible cavities or other complications. With this important information, the dentist can then move on to treat your child and their individual needs.

At the beginning of every semiannual appointment, your child will also have their teeth professionally cleaned. Although daily at-home care, like brushing your child’s teeth, is super effective for preventing dental-related health problems, professional cleaning is much more thorough. Dental hygienists will be able to clean any hard to reach places in the mouth and scrape off any stubborn plaque buildup.

Building Good Habits for the Future

Bringing your child to the dentist early on will help set them up for good dental health in the future. Taking them to regular dentist appointments will encourage your child to regularly see the dentist as an adult, and to practice healthy teeth habits throughout their life. Their interactions with the dentist at a young age can help teach your child how to interact and be comfortable interacting with dentists and other healthcare professionals later in life.

Where to Start

As discussed, monitoring and caring for your child’s oral health is important from a young age. Young children are more susceptible to diseases and infections, and regularly seeing the dentist can help prevent and control these problems. Scheduling a dentist appointment for your child is a good first step in this process, and you can do online research dentists for services such as dental implants in Calgary for any more information.