One of the best things you can do to ensure your child’s teeth stay healthy is to bring them into the dentist regularly! The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends a visit to the dentist when the first tooth erupts. Many people think it is better to wait until the child is older and able to cooperate with treatment.However, studies have shown that bring a child in to the dentist before their first birthday will reduce the amount of time they spend over their lifetime with the dentist by 40%! Tooth decay is the most common childhood illness! It affects over 40% of all children.
Protecting baby teeth is important
Some people do not think it is important to maintain baby teeth because they will be replaced by permanent teeth. This is not true! Most children will not have all of their permanent teeth until they are twelve years old. Decayed baby teeth can cause pain, difficulty eating, abscesses, fever, time missed from school, and in extreme cases hospitalization from infection and death.
Teaching children proper habits of diet and brushing, and treating decay promptly are some of the best ways we have to keep our children healthy for a lifetime. The best thing we can do for a child’s dentition is to prevent problems from developing.
Preventing dental problems for children
To ensure that your child’s teeth are healthy and grow in properly. We recommend the following:
- Discussing home care (brushing) habits.
- Limiting your child’s exposure to sugar from juices and candy.
- Applying fluoride varnish to the baby teeth helps strengthen enamel so it is less likely to decay.
If your child does develop decay, many times we can treat them here in our office with nitrous oxide gas. Nitrous oxide gas is very safe and helps relax children so they can tolerate treatment easily. The gas acts quickly and has no lingering sleepiness after the appointment. Children can go to school and other regular activities after treatment with nitrous oxide gas.
Call the Mount Olive dental office at (919) 658-9511 and get your child scheduled for a cleaning and exam. Help your child be on the way to dental health for a lifetime!
