We love it when families visit us at Beaumont Family Dentistry.
We enjoy seeing familiar faces. We love meeting the newest members of your family. We also love it when new families choose to make us their home for dental care.
The American Dental Association has named February National Children’s Dental Health Month, and it’s a good time to explain how you can keep your kids’ mouths as healthy as possible.
Take some time to talk to your kids about what they can do to keep their teeth cavity-free, and then make sure you have scheduled a visit for a cleaning and examination at one of our three Lexington area dentist offices.
If You Have Teeth, You Can Get Cavities
When your child’s first tooth comes it, it is a reason to celebrate. This is an important milestone for your baby and for you as parents.
Even before any teeth erupt, you can use a moist cloth or gauze to clean your child’s mouth. When that first tooth comes in, you need to remember that your child can develop tooth decay, too.
At Beaumont Family Dentistry, we like to see your child for his or her first dental visit around the age of 2. The most important thing during this visit is for your child to have fun and feel comfortable.
Your child may get to try out the water squirter and our suction tools so he or she can see how they work.
Up until this point in their lives, many children have only been to the doctor for shots or other not-so-fun reasons. We want to make their first dental visit a fun experience, so they will feel comfortable when they come back.
During this visit, your child may or may not sit in the dentist’s chair. It just depends on whether he or she is ready. Some 2 years old will let us “tickle” their teeth, but it’s OK if your child isn’t quite ready for that.
At home, it’s a good idea for parents to brush the teeth of children 3 and younger. Use a small bit of toothpaste (about the size of a grain of rice) to gently scrub their teeth a couple times each day.
A Step Toward Independence
Between the ages of 3 and 6, children will be ready to start brushing their teeth on their own. At this stage, they should use a nurdle of toothpaste about the size of a pea.
It’s important for them to brush twice a day for about two minutes each time. At this stage, we recommend that parents supervise their children while they are brushing their teeth.
You don’t want you children to swallow the toothpaste, and you want to make sure they are brushing correctly and for the right amount of time.
This might be a good time to download a smartphone app like the Brush Time App by Aquafresh. It’s available on iTunes and the Google Play store. This can make brushing and flossing more like a game, which can help your children develop a habit of good oral hygiene.
Losing Teeth And Getting New Ones
Most children will start losing their baby teeth around 7 years old.
Hopefully, by this point, you have established a routine of visiting the dentist for regular cleanings and examinations. This is important because we want to monitor your children’s adult teeth as they erupt.
These visits to the family dentist are a good time to check for any problems. In some cases, we may use space maintainers (if a baby tooth falls out too early) to make sure your child’s adult teeth have enough room to grow.
These preventive steps may be enough to save your child from needing orthodontic care or minimize to orthodontic treatment they need when they get a little older.
Quick Tips
➤ Sealants are a simple, low-cost way to protect your children’s teeth from developing cavities.
➤ Fluoride treatments also help protect your children from tooth decay.
➤ If you children play sports, one of the most important things he or she can do is to wear a custom-fitted athletic mouthguard during practices and competitions.
We Look Forward to Seeing You
We know that your children are the most important thing in your life.
The most important things to the staff at Beaumont Family Dentistry are the oral health of your family and the comfort you feel while you are at one of our dentist offices in Lexington.
If you and your family are long-time patients, we want to remind you to make your next appointment for a professional cleaning if you haven’t already so.
If you are new to the area or just looking for a new family dentist, we encourage you to pay us a visit. We will be glad to show you how we put our patients first.
To make an appointment, call or use the online form for the office closest to you. We have locations in Beaumont Centre Circle, Leestown, and Hamburg.