KNOWING WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR CHILDREN’S DENTAL HEALTH AS THEY GROW CAN SOMETIMES BE OVERWHELMING.
To ensure the best opportunity for good oral health, Floss Dental Clinic recommends that an infant’s first visit to the dental clinic should occur by 6-months of age, or when their first tooth appears.
Routine brushing should then begin in order to look after their baby teeth. Even though they will eventually fall out, baby teeth play a significant role in your child’s development. If left uncared for, tooth decay can occur which can be painful. If left unmanaged, this may result in the loss of a tooth which can affect speech, nutritional intake, self-esteem and the development and position of the adult teeth.
Continual assessment of your growing child’s changing teeth, gums and orthodontic needs every six months is recommended. This helps to ensure optimal dental health and the early detection of any concerns or abnormalities.
The team at Floss Dental Clinic believes that healthy habits for good oral health start early, and is passionate about establishing oral hygiene programs that will follow your children from the emergence of their first tooth all the way through to adulthood.
The highly trained team recognize that every child is different and have their own changing needs and understanding of dental health. Therefore, Floss Dental Clinic takes a fun and educational approach to children’s dentistry that creates an equal partnership of dental care.
3 KEY Pointers for parents:
1. Brush your kids teeth yourself and inspect their mouth daily. A good way to enforce this is to take something we already have in their daily routine and add on brushing (for example brushing their teeth in the evening when they bathe). Unfortunately many kids will resist, but good habits like brushing our teeth daily can be learned if we give good examples and are consistent about brushing their teeth. We can reward kids that fill in their brushing tables with stickers and rewards.
2. Good nutrition is key. Of course most kids will not eat other foods like they can devour sweets. But good habits should begin early. We suggest not buying things with sugar and taking care not to introduce sugar rich foods in our daily routines. We need to provide healthy alternatives for our kids. For example, we can replace sugar filled cereals with oatmeal or eggs and toast, replace juices with pure water and sweets with fruits and veggies cut into small strips or fun shapes. We will explain this to children and suggest a schedule where they can wait for a special sweet 2 times weekly.
3. Bring your kids for a dental cleaning and checkup to create a positive relationship with the dentist, to catch any dental or orthodontic problems early and to learn about oral hygiene, maintenance and proper brushing techniques. Sometimes hearing these things from the specialist can make a difference for a kid.
