Healthy Smiles

It is important as a parent to encourage and assist your child to have good oral hygiene. You should help your child with his or her brushing until around the age of 6 years old, and you should help your child floss when their teeth have contact with one another. This is dependent on the child and you should ask your dentist when it is time to start flossing his or her teeth. A good way to encourage your child to brush his or her teeth is to explain why it is important. You want to talk to your child about the sugar bugs in their mouths and how it is important to brush the sugar bugs away so that they have clean and healthy teeth. You also want to try to use the tell-show-do method to get your children brushing the right way. You want to tell and show your child how you brush your teeth using circles and then have them brush their own teeth in the same manner. It is important to get your child in a good brushing routine as early as possible. In addition, at the age at which they understand not to swallow everything is the age where you can start adding small amounts of toothpaste to their brush. ACT fluoride rinse for kids is also a good adjunctive rinse to help prevent cavities in kids old enough to spit out the rinse.

It is recommended by the academy of pediatric dentistry to take your child to the dentist at age one. However, we have found in our office that most kids do well seeing a dentist at around 2 ½ to 3 years of age. The reason for this is that we find that the kids have a better first experience at the dentist which excites them for their future visits. A good first experience goes a long way in a child’s overall attitude towards their hygiene and going to the dentist.

However, if at any time, at any age , you notice something not normal in your child’s mouth, do not hesitate to make your child’s first visit prior to 2 ½ or 3 years of age. For example, if you notice anything unusual such as bleeding gums, bumps on the gums, stained teeth or if your child cries while pointing to their mouth then you should make an appointment for your child to visit the dentist.

At your child’s first visit the dentist will make sure that your child is comfortable and will slowly introduce your child to the new environment by using the tell-show-do method. We will evaluate your child for tooth development, facial growth and development as well as evaluate your child’s risk for cavities. If x-rays are necessary, they will be taken at this time. We will also try to give your child a cleaning depending on how your he or she is doing. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PROFESSIONAL TEETH CLEANINGS AND REGULAR 6-MONTH RECALL VISITS ARE THE BEST WAYS TO PREVENT ORAL DISEASE. REGULAR VISITS ALLOWS US TO CATCH DECAY AND GUM DISEASE EARLIER SO THAT YOUR CHILD DOESN’T HAVE WORSENENING CONDITIONS LIKE ABSCESSES THAT LEAD TO TOOTH LOSS.

Fluoride is a very important part in maintaining healthy teeth. We offer fluoride to all of our kids as it is a strong anti-cavity agent. We provide fluoride in two different forms. The first form is a foam that is placed in fluoride trays that are placed in your child’s mouth for a total of 4 minutes. The other form is for children that do not do well with the trays in their mouths. This is a fluoride varnish that is painted on the teeth. Both forms are very effective in strengthening teeth as well as providing an anti-cavity. Your child will be asked not to consume any food or liquids for a half hour following treatment because this is the time for maximum fluoride uptake in their teeth.

It is very important for your child to have access to fluorinated water while their teeth are developing. This is actually more important than topical fluoride applied on the teeth at the dentist. The reason it is so important is that the fluoride will actually integrate into the composition of your child’s teeth while they are developing during growth. The fluoride that becomes part of the teeth will cause the teeth to be much more resistant to cavities. Therefore, it is very important for your child to drink fluorinated water. Sources of fluorinated water are city water, bottle water with fluoride for kids, or if your on a well without fluoride you can have fluoride drops prescribed for your child at the dentist.

Dental sealants are very effective in preventing cavities on the top surfaces of your child’s permanent molars. A sealant is a thin layer of material that is placed over the biting surface of the teeth. They work by preventing bacteria from getting into and forming cavities in the small deep groves on the molar surfaces. These grooves are very prone to decay because there is no way to clean them properly as the toothbrush glides right over them. Sealants work best when applied when your child’s permanent molars first erupt. The reason is two-fold. One is that they will stop any decay from initially forming and two, your child’s diet usually contains a high amount of sugar at that age with contributes to tooth decay.

It is our opinion that a child’s diet is the most predicting and most important factor for the prevention of tooth decay. This explains why some kids have excellent oral hygiene, but are always at the dentist for cavities. Decay is often times more linked to their diet than to their oral hygiene, even though good oral hygiene can dramatically reduce tooth decay. Sugary foods and liquids are of course not very good for your child’s teeth. Sipping on juice and other sugary liquids, which sit on the teeth for a long period of time, allows bacteria to decay the teeth for long periods of time. The constant intake of sugar does not give the saliva a chance to neutralize the mouth. This is also true for sticky foods as well because they adhere to the teeth for long periods of time. It is important to minimize these items in your child’s diet and promote rinsing with water after eating along with brushing and flossing regularly.