subject: The Importance Of Preventative Dentistry For Children [print this page] Preventative dentistry is the way that dentists and patients ward off damaging dental problems later in life. It is every adult's responsibility to take care of his or her own oral health and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For children, it is important that the child's parents instill good oral health habits in their kids to prevent tooth and gum disease in the future. Habits developed during childhood carry on throughout a person's life. In addition, tooth and gum disease while a child is still growing can be very damaging to a child's health.
Teaching Your Child Good Habits
Habits can stay with you for an entire lifetime. It is important to develop good ones in your child at a young age so that they can maintain their oral health for the rest of their lives. The first thing that a child must learn to do is how to properly brush their teeth. A parent or a dentist should be capable of teaching a young child how to brush. When they are first learning, it is important to instill in the child that you need to brush for approximately two minutes each time and that you need to brush your teeth at least twice a day. It is much easier to learn these habits when you are first learning to brush then later on in life once you have developed bad habits.
It is also important to develop good eating habits at a young age. Staying away from sugary foods not only helps your child's overall health, but also greatly reduces the risk of tooth or gum disease. Again, children develop many of their bad habits at a young age so it can be very beneficial to steer them away from many unhealthy foods when they are young.
How Your Dentist Can Help
Taking your child to the dentist at a young age can be helpful in making sure he or she sees going to the dentist as a normal part of life. From about age 3, a child should regularly see a dentist every six months. If you wait too long, a child may have already developed dental problems or could develop a fear of seeing the dentist. Many dentists are trained to deal with young children and have experience seeing patients that are on their first visits to the dentist. Generally young children will simply get a visual test of their teeth and a confirmation that they are brushing their teeth correctly.
Once your child gets older, regular visits to the dentist will also consist of a thorough cleaning of the teeth. Like all patients, children cannot reach all of the plaque that accumulates on their teeth. A professional cleaning from their dentist will greatly help to prevent tooth and gum disease. The dentist will also be able to provide a fluoride treatment to further protect the enamel of your child's teeth.
To learn more information about preventative dental care for children, please contact your Edina dentist today.
by: Gen Wright
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