Taking your child to the dentist
A common misconception most parents have is that their infants or children do not require visits to the dentist unless in the case of an emergency. Not only is this false, but it could also have detrimental effects on your child’s overall dental health in the future. Infant and child dentistry is just as important as yours, so we highly encourage you to bring your child for a visit to our dentist in West Byfleet at Byfleet Dental to ensure they get the best start to their oral health and hygiene.
The importance of child dental care
While on rare occasions babies are born with teeth, most begin teething at around six months of age and by the age of three, your child would have grown a full set of their primary teeth. It is recommended that you book your child in for an appointment with our dentist in West Byfleet after their first milk teeth appear so that they may undergo a thorough check-up. By doing this, your child will acquaint themselves with the dental environment, thereby hopefully preventing the development of fears around visiting the dentist in the future. It is also important to begin incorporating oral hygiene practices into their daily routines so that it becomes a normal part of their daily life. You can do this by brushing your teeth in their presence and encouraging them to mimic your actions and by limiting their consumption of sugary drinks and snacks.
Why taking your child to the dentist is important
It is important that you bring your child for regular visits to our dentist in West Byfleet so that they can become familiar with the environment and can get to know our dentist. This will prevent future visits to the dentist from becoming a negative experience for them and will make regular visits more pleasant and even exciting. Upon evaluating your child’s teeth, the dentist can perceive if there are any early signs of oral health problems and can advise you on how to carry out preventive care to avoid future damage. In doing so, you can ensure your child’s oral health is maintained well, which will in turn result in fewer emergency trips to the dentist as they would require if their oral health is poor.
How to guide your child to good oral health
When your child’s oral health is ignored, tooth decay may occur which can lead to pain in the mouth, dental abscesses and other dental issues. This can be a distressing experience for your child, and can affect their sleeping, eating and sometimes even their growth. In order to ensure your child develops good oral health maintenance techniques, there are a number of steps you can incorporate into their daily routine. It is best to commence brushing your child’s teeth when their first tooth appears; you can begin by guiding their hand when they brush their teeth so that they can get an idea of what the correct movements are. Other measures you can take are to ensure your child is brushing their teeth with a toothpaste containing fluoride and that they brush twice daily for approximately two minutes. As with adults, children’s teeth are significantly impacted by their dietary habits; snacks and drinks containing a high content of sugar contribute in the development of cavities and holes in teeth causing your child to require fillings and other dental procedures, so it is imperative that your child enjoys them in a controlled manner.