Child Safety Protection Month: Why Your Child’s Oral Health Matters
November 22, 2016
In honor of Child Safety Protection Month, Dr. Jeffrey Lowe is encouraging parents to safeguard the oral health of their children. According to recommendations given by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, children should see the dentist by the time they are one year old or right after the emergence of their first tooth.
The Importance of Preventative Care
Preventative pediatric dental care can’t really be that important since your child’s baby teeth are just going to fall out, right? Think again! Pediatric dental care actually has a profound effect on adult dental health, and the healthiest lifetime smiles almost always begin in infancy. A few benefits of early pediatric dental care include:
• Familiarity with the dental office
• Proper oral hygiene education
• Early detection and prevention of dental problems
• Protective treatments such as mouth guards, sealants and fluoride treatments
Preventative dental care is an important part of regular pediatric dental visits. If you’re worried about your child becoming traumatized by dental treatments just keep in mind that preventative care can minimize the need for more invasive procedures. The earlier a dental problem is discovered and taken care of, the less likely it is that your child will develop more severe and painful dental conditions later on.
Preparing Your Child for the First Dental Visit
The first dental visit doesn’t have to be scary. Before the appointment, we recommend that you give your child a general idea of what will happen, but don’t use scary words like “needle”, “shot” or “drill”. You can also encourage good behavior by preparing a reward to give to your child after the appointment.
If your preparation efforts don’t effectively reduce your child’s anxiety, we may be able to offer gentle and safe sedation services to help make your child as comfortable and calm as possible during the appointment.
Schedule Your Appointment
To schedule your preventative pediatric care appointment, call Dr. Lowe at Lifetime Orthodontics Dental Care during regular business hours. You can also fill out our online form at your leisure and wait for one of our office representatives to contact you.