Early Childhood Dentist Can Help to Prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

The largest challenge that any early childhood dentist is going to face is a lack of education when it comes to parents understanding what it takes to keep a baby or toddler's teeth healthy.  All parents want their child to be in good health but few understand how easy it is for their young child to develop cavities.  In fact, if you were to ask most parents, they would be unaware that their baby could develop cavities from the moment they first develop teeth. They can and this condition is often referred to as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay.

How To Prevent Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

• Brush your baby or toddler’s teeth every night before bed and every morning.
• Send them to bed with water instead of milk.
• Stop nursing your baby through the night.
• Bring your baby or toddler to our office for a teeth cleaning twice per year.
• Do not give your child a pacifier with any sugar or juice on it.
• Do not give your child candy.
• Brush their teeth after giving them anything high in sugar like juice.
• Avoid soda, even diet sodas since they are full of sugar and have a low pH level.

The Statistics

In recent studies, it was discovered that as high as 70% of parents with young children had not followed the American Dental Association's recommendation for a child to be brought in within the first 12 months of their life for an initial early childhood dentist wellness check.  Of the 70% of parents that had not taken their young children in to see a children's dentist, virtually none of them had the same report when it came to taking the child in to see the pediatrician.  Education is the key to ensuring that more parents bring their children to the dentist.

Anticipatory Guidance from an Early Childhood Dentist

In addition to providing your child with the right kind of early childhood dental coverage, by visiting an early childhood dentist within the first 12 months of your child's life, or within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth, you also have a distinct advantage when you start seeing the dentist on a regular basis.  This advantage comes in the form of you being able to receive educational information based on your specific child's developmental needs which are also called the anticipatory guidance. Anticipatory guidance is a fancy way of saying preventive medicine. As an early childhood dentist, we know that the best means of treating a child is to provide their parents with anticipatory guidance, and reducing the potential that the child will need us for anything more than routine maintenance.

Finally, we are able to assist you with some best practices and ways of getting your child to willingly participate in their own oral health habits. With our experience, it is easier to get your child to want to brush their teeth, and having an early childhood dentist to back you up is never a bad idea.

Schedule Your Appointment

Bring your baby or toddler to our dental office so that they can have a better chance of avoiding cavities and so that you can gain the information necessary to help them maintain good oral health.

Pediatric Dental Care  >  Dental Crowns For Kids

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