At this time of year many parents and caregivers are frantically running around trying to get everything their kid needs for the start of a new school year. Some will have been highly organized and will have even made lists to make sure nothing is forgotten, but have you remembered your child’s dental checkup?
Why Booking a Back-To-School Dental Checkup Is a Vital
Booking a dental checkup before they start a new school year can be a great idea as the last thing you want to do is for your child to miss school because they need an emergency visit to their pediatric dentist. Even worse, a kid will find it very difficult to concentrate on learning if their teeth are causing them discomfort or pain. If your child has poor dental health, then they are not going to be ready to start the new school year in the right frame of mind. Booking a visit to a pediatric dentist should be high on your back to school checklist. If you haven’t yet booked an appointment, give us a call so we can fit in your kid before the school year begins.
Tooth Decay Is a Real Problem for Your Kid
Milk teeth are vital to the development of your child as they need these teeth to eat properly to learn to talk and to smile and feel confident. Tooth decay is caused by bacterial infection and teeth that have been damaged in this way cannot heal. Unless cavities are treated, children can become sick enough to end up in the emergency room and there’s a real risk that their adult teeth may be permanently damaged. The real shame is that cavities are preventable.
Helping Your Child Have Healthy Teeth
Your child does need to see a pediatric dentist twice a year for proper dental checkup and professional cleanings. It is better to take your child to see a pediatric dentist rather than your general dentist as pediatric dentists are true specialists in treating children and have studied for several additional years to make sure they can provide your child with all the treatments necessary to keep their teeth healthy and strong.You’ll find a good pediatric dentist can work with you to reduce their risk of disease. It’s important that your child brushes their teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and you may need to brush their teeth for them or will need to supervise them until they’re old enough to brush on their own.
Diet Makes a Huge Difference
While good professional dental care can help tremendously, you do need to watch your child’s diet. Ideally try to make sure they have a healthy diet the vast majority of the time. Fresh foods including plenty of fruit, vegetables and proteins are the best source of vitamins and minerals and encouraging them to eat this way from a very early age can help build a healthy habit for life. Limit their intake of candy and soda, including both the full sugar and diet versions as both are bad for teeth. These drinks have zero nutritional value and may mean your child isn’t eating or drinking something that is actually healthy for them.
Our pediatric dentists offer far more than just a dental checkup and we are always more than willing to talk to you about diet and dental care at home so please just ask for advice.
