Children’s Dentistry: Expectations vs. Reality
Children’s dentistry involves dental procedures that are meant to take care of any dental problems in children. A pediatric dentist or a general dentist mainly does it. Children’s dentistry services include emergency dentistry, cosmetic, preventive, and general dentistry.
There are many myths revolving around dental health, and many people do not treat it at the most level of importance. We often push it by the wayside. However, observing good dental hygiene is important for your oral cavity and the whole body as well. Your oral health affects different areas of your body. It can lead to bacterial pneumonia, diabetes, heart disease, or blood cell disorders. It can also cause complications in expectant mothers. This also applies to your children, and their oral cavity needs to be taken care of as soon as they grow their first teeth.
It is important to provide your children with the best dental care through a pediatric dentist. Taking your child to a dentist can be difficult, not to mention conducting a dental exam. A pediatric dentist knows how to deal with children and make them comfortable. In case of any emergency, you can reach out to John Paul Girardi dental office for children’s dentistry emergency services.
The best time to take care of your teeth is when you are young because baby teeth are the framework for the proper growth of adult teeth. Dentists will urge you to visit a pediatric dentist for your child as soon as they turn a year old. A pediatric dentist can develop a good relationship with your child, build trust, and protect your child from long-term dental problems or complications.
Exercising good dental habits like regular flossing and brushing and adhering to schedule dental visits are suitable for keeping your mouth and body well. However, sometimes, people lose these excellent habits over some dental myths. Here are the expectations versus reality in kids’ dentistry.
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- Kids Are Scared Of The Dentist
The reality is that children react well to a dental visit if they know what to expect during the procedure. Parents that have positive attitudes pass these positive attitudes to their kids. If your child seems nervous before the process, you will be shocked to find that the dental check-up went out well. Words of encouragement from their parents like you can do it can help your child trust the dentist.
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- If Your Child Is Ready For Kindergarten, They Can Do Their Flossing And Brushing
The reality is that young children are not able to clean their teeth very well. At 8 or 9, the children are capable of cleaning the teeth very well, but they need some supervision from their parents.
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- Babies Do Not Need Oral Care
Reality: babies’ oral cavity, especially gums, needs to be cleaned by a soft brush or by a cloth or water even before their first teeth develop. This helps soothe the gums as they become developing.
Your pediatric dentist will advise you to clean your child’s teeth, and gums using a soft brush as the first teeth begin to appear. And you should not use any toothpaste. The fluoride toothpaste for kids can be introduced when they turn age three when they are aware of not swallowing the toothpaste.
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- Soda And Candy Are The Only Types Of Food Parents Need To Restrict
The reality is many foods contain an amount of sugar level that can increase the risk of decay. The parent should read food labels properly as there are types of that, although they are not so sweet to contain some sugar, for example, ketchup and potato chips.
Soda and fruit juices contain a lot of sugar, as a parent you can give your kids water and milk instead. Eating fresh fruit is a better way to enjoy the fruit. As a parent, read labels, limit foods with high sugar levels, and gives your kids a healthy balanced diet.
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- When Kids Start Losing Their Teeth Around Six Years, The Parent’s Job Is To Be A Tooth Fairy
This should not be the case, and the reality is that parents should be there to help with the cleaning and take them to the dentist because this can affect the alignment of your child’s teeth.
Primary teeth start being loose around six years, the premolars also start to develop. It is important to start cleaning the new teeth as soon as possible.