The Importance of Setting Dental Appointments for Your Child!

As a parent, you just can’t help but worry about your child’s oral health. That’s because you want what’s best for him or her. One of the ways to accomplish your goal is to maintain regular dental appointments with your local dentist. If you’re wondering why these visits are so critical, keep reading to get the answers!

Why Kids Need Regular Dental Visits

It’s recommended that your child attends his or her initial dental visit after the first teeth begin to emerge. This is an excellent way to identify any developing problems like hypoplasia (under-developed tooth enamel) or fluorosis (over-exposure to fluoride).

The most common problem, though, is bacteria growth. This can be brought on by children’s often times more liberal approach to eating and drinking certain items, and a lack of proper oral hygiene practices.

Why Summer Break is a Great Time to Visit

Every six months, it’s recommended by the American Dental Association that patients visit for preventive care. Dentists highly recommend summer visits to parents for the following reasons:

• Children don’t have to miss school.
• If you have more than one child, you can save yourself some time and gas by scheduling more than one appointment on the same day.
• By scheduling one of the preventive care visits in the summer, the next one can be set for winter break, so once again, no one will have to miss school.

Healthy Habits to Instill at Home

In addition to your child receiving preventive care from your local children’s dentist, there are steps that can be taken at home to further fortify his or her oral health.

Healthy Eating

As alluded to earlier, a diet high in sugar, which can include items like sodas, juices, candy and other sweets, is a bacterium’s dream. An alternative way to satisfy your child’s sweet tooth is to offer more fruits and treats made from alternative sweeteners like stevia and xylitol.

Excellent Oral Hygiene

Bacteria are resilient, so just brushing and flossing in the morning, only, won’t suffice for protecting your child’s teeth and gums. At a minimum, the oral hygiene routine should be performed at least in the morning and at night before bed.

Proper Hydration

A final variable to consider is how much water your child consumes daily. Not only is proper hydration vital to maintain the proper function of the bodily systems, but it also helps to flush the mouth of harmful bacteria, which translates into fresher breath and a lesser chance of complex issues down the road.

As a general rule of thumb, make sure your child drinks at least half his or her weight in ounces of water. That means a 100-pound person should drink around 50 ounces of water, which is the equivalent of roughly three bottles of water.

You’re now fully equipped to move forward with creating and maintaining excellent oral health for your child. To get the added professional help that’s needed, reach out to your local dentist to schedule the first visit today!

About the Author

Dr. Robert Heil is a graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in Minneapolis. Twenty years later, he’s still providing the best in dental care. As the consummate learner, Dr. Heil has received postgraduate training in several areas, which allows him to provide the comprehensive care that children need at Dental Expressions. He can be reached for more information through his website.