Did you know that a baby’s teeth first come in between 4 and 7 months? Many people believe that taking care of a child’s baby teeth isn’t a big deal. After all, they’re going to fall out anyway and get replaced with adult teeth. However, taking care of your child’s baby teeth is more important than you might expect. For that reason, you shouldn’t hesitate to take your child to your local Elizabethtown kids dentist.
But when should you take your child to your Elizabethtown pediatric dentist for the first time? Keep reading and learn more below.
When Should You Take Your Child to Your Elizabethtown Kids Dentist?
You should take your child to the dentist as soon as his baby teeth erupt. If this is not a good time, you can wait until your child is about 2 years old, but waiting any longer than that can put your child’s teeth at risk. You might wonder why you should bother taking your child to the dentist at such a young age.
What many people don’t know is that baby teeth can suffer from the same dental problems as adult teeth. Even though baby teeth will fall out eventually, their state can often determine how a child’s adult teeth will be. For example, if a child’s baby teeth fall out too early, his adult teeth may come in crooked or underdeveloped.
Dental problems can start as soon a child’s first tooth erupts from the surface of his gum line. Keep in mind that baby teeth are more sensitive than adult teeth. For that reason, they are more sensitive to tooth decay, cavities, and other dental issues.
The Details
Your baby may also develop gum disease if you’re not careful. This is why it’s so important to consider Elizabethtown dentistry for children. By taking your child to the dentist as soon as possible, you can make sure that your child’s dental care is on the right track.
Keep in mind that your child’s first visit to the pediatric dentist in Elizabethtown will not be invasive at all (unless the child already has existing dental problems that need to be addressed). The first visit is mainly to check up on your child’s teeth and make sure that they’re in good working order.
The dentist will typically examine how many teeth your child has, the development of the child’s jaw, and other factors. The dentist will also likely give you some advice on how to care for your child’s teeth until the child is old enough to do it on his own. If there is anything currently wrong with your child’s teeth, the dentist will let you know and tell you about the treatment options.
Usually, if you bring your child in when he has only one or two baby teeth, the child should not have any dental issues yet. However, if you’re not careful, dental problems could soon arise within one to two years of the child’s life.
Keeping Your Child’s Teeth in Good Shape
when it comes to children’s dental health, there are certain things you will need to do (or avoid) to keep your child’s teeth in good shape. Your dentist will tell you what you should avoid, such as giving your child too much fruit juice. What many people don’t know is that fruit juice is full of sugar.
If your child is always sucking on a bottle of fruit juice or if he falls asleep with fruit juice still in his mouth, the sugar in the juice can slowly degrade the child’s tooth enamel. This is due to certain sugar-loving oral bacteria that consume sugar and secrete acid as a byproduct. When this happens, your child’s tooth enamel will slowly become weaker and weaker until tooth decay sets in.
This will make your child’s teeth especially sensitive to hot and cold substances. Besides that, severe tooth decay can increase your child’s risk of developing dental infections. In severe cases, your child might even lose his baby teeth early.
As mentioned before, losing one’s baby teeth too early can interfere with the development of one’s adult teeth. Your child may also develop cavities and even gum disease if you don’t clean his teeth regularly. Tooth decay can also set in even if you only give your child milk.
What You Need to Know
This is because there is also sugar in milk, although there is less of it compared to fruit juice. To prevent any early dental issues, you should always make sure to clean your child’s teeth after the child consumes anything. You can do this by using a delicate child’s toothbrush to brush the child’s individual teeth.
It is best not to use an adult’s toothbrush since the bristles may be too hard for your child’s mouth and may cause irritation. It is, of course, also important to continue bringing your child to the dentist over the years. Bringing your child to the dentist once or twice every year will give your dentist the opportunity to monitor your child’s dental development and make sure that your child’s teeth and jaw are developing as they’re supposed to.
Bringing Your Child to the Dentist
Bringing your child to your local Elizabethtown kids dentist is more important than you might expect. Bringing your child to the dentist early will ensure that your child’s dental health is in good shape. It is also important to continue taking your child to the dentist over the years so the dentist can keep track of your child’s dental development.
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