4 Questions to Ask a Dentist for Children

Bringing your child to a dentist for children is a good first step in teaching them proper oral care. This is the right opportunity to bring up some topics about your child’s dental health. Understanding what to do as a parent can help your child recognize the importance of proper oral care. If you want to know what to ask your dentist for children, here are four common questions and their possible answers.

1. What should we know about at-home tooth care?

For a young child, learning to brush properly will help to establish a lifetime of positive, healthy dental habits. The dentist for children will be happy to demonstrate proper brushing techniques during every visit. The parent should teach the child how to brush. A smear of low-fluoride toothpaste is enough. Studies show that spitting and not rinsing is ideal after brushing. The fluoride left in the mouth will work overnight to strengthen the child’s teeth.

Proper dental care at home starts even before the eruption of the first tooth. The key to preventing cavities is to avoid giving a milk-filled bottle during bedtime. Sippy cups should not be handy throughout the day as well. Filling the bottles and sippy cups with water is enough.

2. How can a parent prevent the formation or continuation of bad dental habits?

Young children develop many bad dental habits. These could start at home, at school, or around friends. The most common bad dental habit is biting fingernails. This habit could result in gum tissue damage, dental damage, and oral infection.

Keeping hard candy or a lollipop in the mouth is not a good habit. Bacteria in the mouth feed on the sugars in the candy. The bacterial acids then break down the enamel. Playing sports without a mouthguard and opening packages with teeth are also bad habits. Parents can provide healthier alternatives to candies. Parents can remind them about using mouthguards and scissors.

Hard brushing is also a bad dental habit. Parents can remind the kids that brushing hard does not clean the teeth better. It only pushes the particles further between teeth. It also deteriorates the enamel.

Parents can have a seat with the child and talk about these bad habits. Parents and kids could then come up with ways to avoid the habits. It is important for the parents not to approach the topic with an angry tone, or the kids will be defensive. Let the children know that parents are there to help and not reprimand.

3. How do parents encourage straight teeth?

Crooked teeth are usually caused by overcrowding in the mouth. A dentist for children can help parents prevent this problem. Dental techniques can also help correct overcrowding. Traditional braces and other teeth-straightening techniques can fix crooked teeth. Correcting specific behaviors in young children can help prevent costly orthodontic treatments when the child gets older. Thumb-sucking also fuels the sucking and rooting reflex in young kids.

Some kids find these behaviors soothing. Parents can identify the type of stress that triggers sucking. Calming the child down and overcoming the trigger without sucking the thumb are important. A reward system can help the child cut the habit earlier.

Both pacifier and thumb-sucking should stop before two years of age. Beyond this age, the child could develop crooked teeth and protruding front teeth. The dentist for children and the whole family can help stop the sucking behavior. The development of the child’s teeth could then happen without issues.

4. What should parents do in case of a chipped tooth?

Chipping a tooth in kids is common. Children could fall, bump against objects, or play rough games, then chip a tooth or two. Refraining from panicking is the first thing a parent should do. Rinsing the child’s mouth is also important. The dentist might want to see the tooth and see if there are hidden damaged areas from the injury.

A chipped baby tooth is not serious. But some parents might want a temporary aesthetic solution while waiting for the chipped tooth to fall out. A chipped permanent tooth will need treatment from the dentist for children. Capping, bonding, and filling are the common ones available.

Your dentist for children can help you care for your child’s dental health

The first dental visit is an opportunity for your child to know the dentist. It is also an opportunity for the dentist for children to know your child as well. You can ask more questions regarding your child’s dental health. Making these visits regular can prevent the development of dental anxiety in your child.

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