Children’s dental health is important not just for the health of their teeth but for their overall health as well. Poor dental health can affect a child’s development, speech, and eating.
What is National Children’s Dental Health Month?
In celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month, we want to take a moment to talk about why seeing a dentist is so important for your child. Many parents don’t realize that their child should see a dentist as soon as their first tooth comes in or by their first birthday at the latest.
Your child’s first teeth are very important to the health of their adult smile. If a baby only has their baby teeth in when they lose their baby teeth, a space maintainer will be needed to prevent their teeth from shifting out of their proper alignment. This affects not only the way your smile looks but also how your child feels about their smile. It can also lead to speech problems later on if they need to have the space filled in their permanent teeth.
In addition to affecting the child’s oral health and appearance, it’s also important to get children started on a good oral hygiene routine as early as possible. When they start visiting with our dentist early and regularly, it makes it much easier for them to get used to the idea of going to the dentist. They’ll have less anxiety about future visits because they’ll already be used to the sights and smells of our office! And it’s a great chance for our dentists to monitor your child’s development and identify any concerns early on. You can take comfort in the fact that you’ll know if anything is wrong as soon as possible if a problem does arise.
Teach Your Child The Importance of Dental Health
We understand that visiting the dentist can be a scary experience for kids, which is why we go out of our way to make sure that your child’s appointments are as positive as possible. So before your child’s first visit to our office, here are a few things you can do to make sure your little one is ready for the experience:
- Let your child know what to expect. Feel free to visit our office beforehand so your child can get familiar with it ahead of time.
- Reassure your child that they will be in good hands with our staff. We like to get kids excited about coming to see our dentist by showing them our kid-friendly waiting room and letting them watch a short cartoon or video while they wait.
- Don’t give too much information. It can be tempting to overshare your own dental experiences with your child, but doing so can scare them or give them unrealistic expectations of their appointment.
- Avoid using negative language when talking about visits with us. You should never say that going to our office “hurt” or that your child will have to “get a shot.” Instead, let your child know that the dentist will take care of their teeth to make them look and feel great!
- Never use your words to scare your children into being good patients. Phrases like “If you don’t brush your teeth tonight, you’ll get cavities!” may instill fear in your kids and prevent them from brushing their teeth. It’s better to simply remind them how important it is to brush twice a day and floss once a day for good oral health.
For appointments, please call us at (832) 930-7856 or visit us at 12711 Telge Rd Suite #100, Cypress, TX 77429. For more information, please email us at stonelakedentistry@gmail.com.
