Contents:
- Medical Video: Dental Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs - Boston Children's Hospital
- When should you take your child to the dentist?
- What should be prepared before going to the child's dentist?
- Don't forget to always teach children to brush their teeth twice a day
Medical Video: Dental Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs - Boston Children's Hospital
Dental health is sometimes considered a trivial thing for many parents. Even though unkempt teeth can cause more serious infections, it is not just a matter of perforated teeth and bad breath. For this reason, dental health must be maintained early. Children should get used to taking care of their teeth. Bringing a child to a dentist is an effort to protect the health of a child's teeth and at the same time introduce children to a child's dentist. When is the right time?
When should you take your child to the dentist?
The first time taking a child to the dentist should be done as early as possible or six months after the first tooth of a new child appears. No later than when the child's first to second birthday. After that, start to routinely bring the child to control his teeth every six months.
At the child's first visit, the dentist will check the growth and development of the child's teeth (including the jaw and palate). In addition, the dentist will also tell parents about how to care for the child's teeth. After the first visit, you should schedule another visit every six months.
When children are between 4-6 years old, ask the child's dentist to X-ray the child's teeth to check for cavities, as suggested by WebMD. At this age, children are generally fond of eating sweet foods, such as candy, chocolate, cakes, and others. Well, if the child's teeth are not diligently cleaned, then the child is prone to experiencing cavities.
Furthermore, at the age of 6-12 years is also a period where the child must be taken to the child's dentist. This is because at that age many baby teeth are dated and replaced with permanent teeth. Routine to the dentist and caring for teeth at this time helps to make teeth grow regularly and prevent dental problems in children.
What should be prepared before going to the child's dentist?
Many children are afraid of dentists. This may be because the child is not used to the dentist or because the child is shocked by all the actions taken or dental care equipment when first visiting the dentist. Therefore, it is important to introduce children to the dentist as early as possible. Well, what should be prepared?
- Choose the right child's dentist, so that the child is comfortable, not even afraid. Maybe it can be seen from the place of practice that is friendly to children.
- Prepare a list of children's health conditions (such as what diseases a child has) and what medicines are consumed by the child. So, if the dentist asks you this, you are ready with the answer.
- Tell the dentist if the child has habits, such as thumb sucking, pacifiers, or pacifiers. Because, this can affect the child's teeth and jaw. It is better not to get children to sleep while drinking bottled milk because it can cause tooth decay.
- Tell your child that he will visit the dentist to have his teeth examined. Tell what will happen while at the dentist, so that the child has a picture and is not surprised to see a dentist. Explain to the child slowly, maybe you need the help of a story book to explain it.
Don't forget to always teach children to brush their teeth twice a day
Introduce the child to brush your teeth as early as possible, even before you take the child to the dentist. Familiarizing children with brushing their teeth can maintain their children's teeth and mouth health. So, later you don't need to worry about child teeth with holes when he often eats sweet foods.
Remember, children are very smart to imitate. So, before telling your child that he has to brush his teeth diligently, you should give an example of how to brush your teeth and how many times you should brush your teeth in a day. By looking at you, the habit of caring for your teeth well will be easier for children to implement.
