How We Discuss Dental Health During Child Development

 Ensuring that our children maintain good oral health requires establishing proper habits early. There’s a lot involved in teaching them proper oral hygiene rather than using floss and brushing regularly. It’s essential to be confident that they’re doing more than brushing and flossing, but that they are doing so properly. Improper oral hygiene means incomplete protection from decay and gingivitis. It’s essential to start teaching them proper techniques as early as possible.

Getting Your Child Engaged With Their Oral Hygiene

Anyone who’s a parent knows how tricky it can be to get a child invested in anything. It gets even harder when it’s something as “boring” and “mundane” as oral hygiene. Dentists get a few common questions when parents start asking how to get their children engaged in their oral hygiene. These include:

• When to start education on oral health?
• What should your focus points be?
• What can be done to prevent the causes of cavities?
• How do I get my child to retain oral hygiene behaviors?

The answer to the first is simple. Teaching your child about oral health should begin as early as possible. It’s possible to start teaching your child about oral hygiene as soon as they’re born. You do this by brushing their gums regularly with a pinpoint-sized dollop of toothpaste and a soft cloth. Their first appointment should happen by the time they turn one. However, if they start having teeth erupt before this, it’s time to see their dentist. This will give them the best chance of avoiding cavities and other oral health concerns. It will also help begin a positive lifelong relationship with receiving dental care.

Our children are at their most impressionable at young ages. Introducing new information and new habits to them at this stage will help them stick. You can also encourage the idea that “big kids” take proper care of their teeth. This can be very motivational for a lot of young children as many desire to be seen as ‘grown-up.’ Using this technique can help encourage them to take proper care of their teeth.

Some parents worry about providing their children with too much information. This is generally impossible. Children are often eager to learn and absorb what you present them with. What’s important is ensuring that you don’t push beyond their ability to focus. Little droplets of information can help establish the habits and understanding you’re shooting for over a long time.’

A Basic Guide To Oral Hygiene Education

The primary thing your child needs to know is why oral hygiene is important. You can start by describing tooth decay and gum disease and how they can hurt their mouths. As they get age, you’ll explain that their adult teeth rely on their baby teeth to grow into the right place. Eventually, you can introduce the fine details about fresh breath, tooth staining, the expense of dental care, and other details. Involving your dentist in this process is going to be an important part of the process.

When you have a growing family, you want to know that you have the best dental care available for them.  Each stage in your child’s development will come with a new set of dental needs and challenges. Parents, especially new ones, may wonder if they need to change providers to get a family or pediatric specialist. This can be particularly troublesome when the difference between the two isn’t clearly understood. We’re going to provide some information about what each specialty does and prepare you to make an educated decision for your family’s dental care.

Do You Really Need A Family Or Pediatric Dentist?

It’s important to know that every dentist can provide general dental care, even specialists. However, as you might imagine, specialists are particularly skilled in their focus. Three types of dentists provide general care for families and children.  General dentists, as the name implies, are true generalists. Family dentists specialize in providing care for minors and their parents alike. Pediatric dentists have a particular focus on providing dental care for those in their developmental years. 

Understanding the care that these two specialists provide is essential in knowing which is right for your family. Each of them emphasizes preventative care as a core principle of their practice. They’re also dedicated to providing beautiful and healthy smiles for their patients. However, these two specialties aren’t the same.

• Family Dentists: These “specialists” can also be thought of as a particular kind of generalist. They dedicate their practice to providing care for families at all stages of life. They provide care for those just starting out, to new parents, their children, and of course the elderly. They provide the benefit of being a ‘lifetime’ dentist and making it possible for all members of a family to be seen at the same location. Being treated by a family dentist means your child will be able to stick with the same dentist their whole lives.
• Pediatric Dentists: These specialists focus on the needs of children and teenagers. This makes them excellent for treating those with special needs, dental anxiety, and complex pediatric dental health concerns.  They’re experts at handling the kinds of issues that can occur during childhood, and ensuring that issues such as improper bite and overcrowding are corrected before the adult teeth come in. The major drawback with these specialists is that they don’t see patients over 18.

As you can see there are reasons you may want to select either of these specialists.  The generalized care for entire families can make family dentists an attractive choice. However, pediatric dentists, if your child has special dental needs of any kind, a pediatric dentist may be your best choice.

Consult With Your Family Dentist Today!

Consulting with your current dentist is an excellent way of determining if you need specialized care for your family. They’ll be best acquainted with the dental health concerns of you and your family, and whether or not a specialist is necessary.  One last benefit to mention. Family dentists will become acquainted with your family oral history. Genetic heritage has been shown to play a role in what oral health concerns we’ll develop. This puts them in a perfect position to know what to expect and catch it early.