Reasons to Schedule Regular Dental Appointments for Your Child

Once your toddler starts flashing that toothy smile, you may wonder if it's time to bring them to a dentist. Most parents care about their child's dental health during these early years but often overlook its significance. As you celebrate the firsts, be sure to prioritize your child's dental visits. Don't wait until all the baby teeth come in, or your child develops plaque or cavity.

Dentists advise parents and guardians to allow kids to see dentists while they are still young, which you should consider for your kids. Here are reasons why these dental visits are essential.

Catch Cavities Early 

Cavities can form in your child's teeth in a few weeks since the baby teeth are thin. If left untreated, the cavity can quickly get to the tooth nerves, causing pain, bad breath, and more damage. Besides, kids with cavities have malnutrition issues because they find it challenging to eat due to the pain.

Toothaches resulting from cavities also cause sleep depreciation, affecting the child's behavior and ability to attend school. What's more, cavities lead to premature tooth loss, which may cause speech impediments and bite malformation (can shift the jaw and face shape).

Allowing your child to visit a dentist regularly will allow the dental experts to catch cavities early to prevent all these complications. Treating cavities early is easy and saves money and time. Your child won't experience tooth pain.

Learn More about Children's Dental Care 

Another vital reason kids should visit a dentist from an early age is to learn more about dental care. The dentist will educate parents about common dental problems that affect babies during the first visits. Other areas the dentist will cover include:

• Essential dental care habits recommended for kids
• Feeding patterns
• Pacifier and finger sucking habits
• Teething phase
• You can also ask queries concerning your child's dental health

Once your child is older, the dentist will educate them about the significance of good oral hygiene. When oral care habits like brushing and flossing are instilled at a young age, your child will have healthy teeth and gums and maintain this as they grow.

Monitor Teeth Growth

Many things can go wrong when the baby's teeth fall out. Generally, baby teeth are placeholders for the adult teeth and assist them to grow straight. If the baby teeth fall out early or the adult teeth grow too soon, your child will have a crooked or crowded smile.

The dental expert will monitor how the baby or adult teeth are growing during each dental visit to avoid these dental issues. Treating these problems early is also better for the child. The treatment will be done fast, and the results will be remarkable.

Get Teeth Cleanings

Once the dentist examines your child's teeth and notices plaque or tartar building up, they will perform in-depth tooth cleaning. The dental expert will even clean the hard-to-reach areas both you and the child have trouble with.

Regular teeth cleaning is necessary for both children and adults as it ensures bacteria don’t stick to the teeth and cause infections like periodontitis. So, whether your child has baby teeth or the permanent ones are growing, they will benefit from dental cleanings. Just make sure they get dental check-ups severally in a year to catch tartar or plaque issues early before they cause dental infections.

Your dentist should be able to create a dental schedule depending on your child's dental needs. Don't skip any of the visits because that could be detrimental to your child's oral health.

Your child's first dental exam should be done by age one or once the first tooth erupts. If your child hasn't been seeing a dentist, or you don't remember the last time you showed up for a visit, schedule an appointment with Cruz Davis Family and Cosmetic Dentistry. Contact us, so we can take care of your child's oral health and help them keep a gorgeous smile as they grow.