Your child’s baby teeth play an important role in nutrition because they enable your child to chew harder foods. As your child begins to interact with other children, their teeth become a major contributor to their appearance and self-esteem. Eventually, baby teeth serve as guides for the placement of adult teeth, which is why dental care is very important from the start.
Cavities in Children’s Teeth
National studies have shown that preschool-aged children are getting more cavities. More than 1 in 4 children in the United States has had at least one cavity by the age of 4. Many kids get cavities as early as age 2. Still, a first visit to a dentist can be scary. It’s unfamiliar, and overheard conversations may have your child thinking a dental visit is always painful. You can put your child at ease in several ways.
You can call a pediatric dentist in Greenville, SC to find out what possible procedures could apply to your child. First visits are usually short. A dental hygienist will clean your child’s teeth and provide a fluoride treatment. Short as it may be, however, the visit mainly provides a chance for the dentist to learn your child’s medical history and for you to learn how to care for your child’s teeth as it continues to develop as they grow.
Making the Visit Fun
Enacting a dental visit through play might work best with very young children. Use props and stuffed animals or dolls. Let your child play the parent, let a toy be the patient, and you be the dentist and act out the examination. Then, let your child play dentist while you and a toy take on the roles of parent and patient.
Because you may have to wait before you see the dentist, prepare by taking a snack and a familiar toy for your child. If your child is young, have an extra diaper or pair of disposable pull-up pants.
It’s also a great idea to bring your child along with you to the dentist when you have your own procedures done–preferably a routine cleaning. This should help them get familiarized with the environment of the dental office. Children tend to pick up their reactions from certain situations from their parents. If you can show them that there’s nothing to be afraid of going to the dentist, then it may not have to be so difficult for you when you bring them for their turn.
Before visiting any of the dentists in Greenville, SC that you know, such as Downtown Dental, make sure that the dentist you are visiting is someone you can absolutely trust with your child’s dental care.
Sources:
Your Child’s First Visit to the Dentist. WebMD.
Your Child’s Age 1 Visit. Colgate.
