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The Importance Of Pediatric Dentistry

Good oral healthcare should start in childhood. As a parent, you must do your part in ensuring that your child knows how to take care of their teeth. However, it also makes sense to partner with a pediatric dentist to monitor the growth and development of your child’s teeth and to ensure good overall oral health. Kids’ dental care is a specialization that is focused on ensuring the general well-being and oral health of children. Dentists who specialize in it can care for the oral health of babies, toddlers, and adolescents alike.

Because pediatric dental health matters

Did you know that tooth decay is highly common in children? By then, routine visits must be fulfilled—preferably every six months for professional cleaning and a thorough check-up. This is essential for prevention and for an early diagnosis of dental health problems, like cavities or teeth coming out improperly or misaligned. That’s why it’s recommended that children must be seen by a pediatric dentist as early as their first tooth erupts, or by age one.

It starts with baby teeth

Baby teeth will eventually fall out to give way to newer, permanent teeth, but that does not mean they should be neglected. In fact, they matter a lot, as cavities could occur and cause oral health problems like gum disease and other infections in the long run. Those issues could prevent the proper growth and development of teeth. Bringing your baby to a children’s dentistry clinic is a good way to ensure healthy teeth and gums. A dentist can also make sure that the baby’s teeth and jaws are developing well, so they can chew and learn to speak properly.

Parents should be made aware, too

Knowing about kids’ dental care is also important to parents and guardians, as these people are responsible for ensuring the overall health and wellness of the children. A dentist can provide tips and recommendations for keeping a child’s mouth healthy, such as brushing at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, eating healthy food, and reducing the intake of sweets and unhealthy food and beverages.

A pediatric dentist can also advise parents not to share eating utensils with their child, as cavity-causing bacteria could transfer through the saliva. Likewise, it’s important to know not to put a baby’s pacifier in your mouth to clean or ‘disinfect’ it before giving it back to the baby.

And speaking of pacifiers, it’s crucial for parents to know and understand when to wean a baby from them. Prolonged pacifier use could cause issues with a baby’s bite, sometimes resulting in a crossbite or an overbite, which can be corrected with orthodontic treatment. So, it’s best to avoid giving a baby its pacifier after age 2.

For teething advice, it may be best to approach a pediatric dentist at a children’s dentistry clinic instead of finding and applying home or folk remedies to relieve the baby’s discomfort. One of the common ways to relieve discomfort is by applying topical teething gels, which must be done with caution. The US FDA Warned against products with lidocaine and benzocaine, as well as homeopathic teething tablets that have been found to cause seizures and other serious risks to the child.

Good oral healthcare for your child

Children and adolescents still require routine visits to their dentist over the years. Kids’ dental care is also focused on addressing orthodontic issues as early as possible, so more treatment options will be available. With the right treatment and care to ensure healthy teeth and gums, your child can continue to grow healthy, happy, and more confident. Bringing your kids to the dentist is also a good way to emphasize the importance of optimum oral health.

Find a dentist for your child at Destination Dentaire

Our dental offices also welcome parents looking to provide the best general dental care to their children. Our children’s dentistry clinic will help keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy. We recommend bringing them to us at an early age, preferably when their first tooth emerges. However, it’s never too late to get started. When you choose Destination Dentaire for your kids’ dental care, you are assured of a comfortable and safe environment for children with friendly and helpful dentists who will also help them learn to care for their teeth.

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