Establishing healthy dental habits with your young children is critcally important. By modeling good oral hygiene and bringing your children to the dentist at a young age, you can normalize good oral hygiene.
Parenting is a tough job. You need to show your children that you love them, but that you also expect them to behave. You need to teach your children how to be respectful, but also to make sure that they stand up for themselves. You need to model the best behaviors, all of the time. From talking politely to others, to picking up after yourself, to making sure that you demonstrate healthy habits.
Although some parents talk a good talk, not every parent walks the walk. For instance, you cannot talk about the dangers of smoking and drinking, while at the same time partaking of those dangerous products. You cannot talk about eating healthy and getting the right amount of exercise, while at the same time failing to make sure that you are following that same advice. Another important part of parenting is making sure that you teach your children the importance of good dental health. From an early age, in fact, few things are as important as making sure that you take your children to a pediatric dentistry office. The first dentist for children, in fact, can help determine how a child will feel about their dental care for the rest of their life. Finding a dentist for children not only helps you make sure that your child is off to a healthy start, but this person can also set the tone for being relaxed and comfortable at these appointments.
Childrens Dentistry Appointments Can Help You Make Sure That You Teach Your Children the Best Habits
Pediatric orthodontics, a more exact type of dentist for children, plays a major role in the life of many families. If, however, your family is not in the habit of twice a year dentist appointments your child may never end up knowing the proper timing for these important services. The fact that you take the time to get your children to all of the important appointments, including a dentist for children, is an indicator that you make your child’s health a priority. You model to your children from the youngest age that dental health is something that you take care of at home on a daily basis, but that it is also something that requires the help of a health professional.
Through the bumps and falls of childhood, pediatric dentists are also needed for the children who are injured in falls and sports injuries. In fact, The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) indicates that 10% to 39% of dental injuries in children are caused by sports, most commonly broken and chipped teeth.
Consider these statistics about the importance of dental health care:
- Only one in five U.S. children go without dental care, but if your child is one of the 20% of the kids in America who is not seeing the dentist, you are putting your child at risk. Not only for the cosmetic needs that are met at the dentist, but also for the future health of their gums, bite, and teeth.
- Poor oral health in children puts them in a significant disadvantage. In fact, these children are three times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain, and school absences can lead to future academic problems.
- Estimates indicate that 42% of children between the ages of 2 and 11 have had caries, an early indicator of a cavity, in their primary teeth, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
- New studies for children indicate that sealants reduce decay in the permanent molars by 81% for two years after they are placed on the tooth. These sealants can also continue to be effective for four years after they are applied.
- When your child is younger than age two, recommendations are that you should not use fluoride toothpaste unless a doctor or dentist instruct otherwise.
- Industry statistics indicate that more than four of every ten children have dental cavities by the time they enter the kindergarten classroom.
- Dedicating yourself to setting the best habits for your children takes attention to detail and dedication. Demonstrating proper dental habits can help you teach your children how to care for their teeth.
- Every six months your child should have a pediatric dentist appointment.
