How to help your child achieve a lifetime of healthy smiles!
Baby teeth are of great importance as they pave the way for proper growth and development of the jaw. They also maintain space for the adult teeth and are beneficial in speech development and eating. Caring for teeth early in life is like investing in your child’s smile for their entire future…
How you can help…
In order to give your child the best chance at healthy happy smiles for life, the best thing you can do is take an active part in their dental education from an early stage.
Getting started…
You can start brushing your child’s teeth as soon as they start to come through the gums. This will generally be around 6 to 9 months of age. Start with a soft cloth wrapped around your index finger. Then move to a soft toothbrush. We recommend that children start using a low fluoride based toothpaste between 2 and 6 years of age.
The tooth fairy: losing teeth…
Children generally lose their front 8 baby teeth between 6 and 8 years of age. At this time the first permanent molars will also come through behind the baby teeth. Then between 10 and12 years of age the remaining baby teeth are lost and are replaced with adult teeth. Preventive dental care involves monitoring the growth and eruption pattern of children’s teeth because often kids teeth do not shed on time and the permanent teeth get pushed into an incorrect position.
Dummy and thumb sucking…
The desire to suck is natural for an infant and a dummy helps to satisfy this need. Using a dummy is generally fine after six weeks of age. It is very important to never dip the dummy in sugar, honey or anything sweet as this can lead to tooth decay. Sucking a thumb or fingers is generally a normal activity up until the age of four years. However continued and forceful sucking may lead to permanent displacement of your child’s teeth and / or jaw structure.
Getting excited about dental care…
It is very important to talk to your child in a positive and calm manner about a visit to the dentist.
Take your child to the dentist as early as possible to avoid creating a fear of the dentist. It may help, to role play a visit with your child, and explain to them what they will see when they go into the room and to outline what the dentist does. Setting a date and telling your child when they are going will enable the child to mentally prepare for the visit. Try and make their visit as fun as possible to help develop a positive attitude about visiting the dentist from the start.
The last way you can help your child achieve a lifetime of healthy smiles is to ensure your child visits the dentist every 6 months for a check up. At Caring 4 Smiles, we make every child’s dental experience fun, memorable and positive! So contact our friendly team…We look forward to seeing you soon!