When Should Children Go to the Dentist?

Do Children Need Professional Dental Care?

When prioritizing your child’s health, you should never overlook their oral needs. Children’s dentistry in Cambridge, ON, exists for a reason. It is where dental experts have trained and gathered experience to handle all dental needs for children from infancy through adolescent years. A typical dental problem in kid’s dentistry is proactivity. Parents tend to find the need for pediatric dentists when their children are either in pain or have a lingering infection. The approach is risky because a dentist can only be reactive when offering urgent care to your child.

Instead, a lot of dental care for children should be preventive. It lays out a proper foundation for children to excel in dental health even when they become adults. While the benefits of preventive dental care may not immediately show up in your child’s health, you will notice its impact over time.

Benefits of Preventive Dental Care for Children

If you are still hesitant about taking up the opportunity to bring your child to Floss Dental Cambridge for preventive dental care, learn more about the benefits of children’s dentistry. Some of the benefits are evident in the following dental services we offer for children:

1. Dental exams – for catching dental issues early. Many oral problems have a fair chance of reversal when caught early. Unfortunately, they may not present vivid signs and symptoms in the early stages. Only a pediatric dentist examining your kid’s oral cavity can detect dental issues in their early stages. Besides, with regular dental visits, there is hardly a chance that a dentist for kids would miss a lingering oral problem in your child’s mouth.
2. Dental hygiene – a big part of preventive dental care entails professional dental cleaning. It entails thoroughly cleaning the oral cavity and ridding it of bacteria, plaque, and tartar. Adults and children can benefit from professional dental cleaning to sustain a clean mouth. The better news is that the dentist or dental hygienist can equip your child with the right tips for excelling in dental hygiene at home. It makes your work easier as a parent when overseeing oral hygiene at home.
3. Fluoride treatment – entails mineralizing teeth with fluoride, a natural mineral otherwise found in food sources. However, the treatment increases fluoride concentration at regulated levels, increasing the content absorption for teeth. Fluoride treatment is crucial for maintaining strong teeth and increasing their resistance to bacteria that cause dental cavities.
4. Dental sealants – are unique types of dental fillings for children and teenagers. They create a protective barrier over the chewing surfaces of molars and premolars. Dental sealants protect teeth from dental cavities, especially among children prone to dental cavities. Some tooth sealants are also packed with fluoride, working extra to protect teeth from dental cavities.
5. Behavior training – did you know that a pediatric dentist can help your child abandon some bad behaviors? Habit counseling is a big part of dental care for children. It helps children let go of some bad dental habits like teeth grinding, fingernail-biting and using the pacifier when they are older, to mention a few. These habits are detrimental to dental health if they continue for a prolonged period.

Should Children Go to the Dentist All the Time?

Although dental care is crucial to children, do not get obsessed with visiting a dentist all the time. Some of the moments that should have you visiting a dentist are:

1. Routine dental visits – your child should keep visiting a dentist periodically, whether for a dental exam or teeth cleaning session. It should take between 3 and 6 months before your child needs another routine dental visit.
2. For urgent dental issues – dental emergencies are random. Even after a recent dental visit, your child can have an urgent oral problem that needs immediate medical attention.
3. Ongoing treatments – some dental treatments are gradual, lasting more than one or two dental visits. For instance, if your child has braces, they need to visit a dentist regularly for wire adjustments. The visits also allow the dentist to track the progress of teeth movement while directing and redirecting their alignment.