Whether you are a new parent or you’ve got teenagers, you want them to be happy and healthy. That includes good oral hygiene.
You make sure your kids brush their teeth. You encourage them to floss. You want them to eat healthy, and you try to limit how much sugar they eat.
But are you forgetting something? Regular visits to the dentist’s office can help maintain your family’s oral health, and it can allow your dentist to identify problems early.
AT Beaumont Family Dentistry in Lexington, we know you want a dentist who can treat your whole family, and we have built a practice that can treat your little ones and you.
Oral care should start early
You should plan for the youngest member of your family to visit the dentist when his or her first tooth comes in. At our practice, we plan to start seeing patients who are 2 years old.
Your child’s first visit is designed to be a “Happy Visit.” We want him or her to get used to come to the dentist office so they don’t see it as a scary place. While we plan to do an initial exam of your son or daughter’s mouth, if he or she isn’t relaxed, we’ll postpone the exam until another time.
We want this to be a no pressure situation for you and your child. We want to avoid anything that may leave your child feeling nervous about future visits.
At home, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommends using a soft-bristled toothbrush before bed to gently remove plaque from your teething baby’s mouth.
Children as young as 3 years old can start to get cavities without proper oral care. If you come to our office, you can rest assured that we will be watching closely for any signs of tooth decay.
We used the DIAGNOdent laser to identify potential cavities, and we can give pain-free fillings if needed.
And always remember that prevention is the best way to keep your mouth healthy.
That’s true for you and your children. Everyone with a set of teeth should be brushing twice a day (for two minutes each time) and flossing once a day.
Older children and teens
Any parent can tell you that kids grow up faster than you realize. As they get older, we’ll still check for the basics of good hygiene and clean any plaque or tartar buildup.
You may also want to consider sealants and fluoride treatments to protect your child’s teeth and gums as they get older.
Around the age of 9, we will be looking closely at your child’s teeth for other reasons. If your child’s teeth are too crowded to allow their adult teeth to come in straight, we may recommend space maintainers.
These are a kind of retainer that makes sure your children have room in their mouths for their adult teeth to come in. This can also help if your child needs orthodontics later, since it will create the room needed to allow the teeth to move.
Of course that leads us to the subject orthodontic care. Many teenagers will benefit from orthodontic care.
Depending on how his or her teeth come in, we provide a variety of orthodontic options to address overbites, underbites, crossbites, crooked teeth, gaps between teeth, and crowded teeth. Some ways we can treat those conditions include:
– Traditional braces
– Fastbraces®
– Invisalign
– Dentofacial orthopedics
Another common concern for preteens and teens are wisdom teeth. At this point in time, wisdom teeth are considered a vestigial part of the human body (like your appendix).
At one point in our history, wisdom teeth served a purpose. Now, however, they often don’t have room to grow, which can lead to impacted teeth or pressure that pushes you existed teeth closer together or out of alignment.
Consistency is key
No matter your age, you should strive to be consistent with your oral care. That means brushing and flossing every day, and scheduling regular visits to our office. A professional cleaning can prevent problems before they require more complex treatments.
As your children grow, you’ll know that we are watching for any signs of problems, whether it’s cavities or possible signs of gum disease. We’ll closely monitor their adult teeth for any problems, and we’ll prepare with you to take corrective action to keep your child’s teeth healthy and straight.
As parents, we understand how you feel about your kids. We’ll treat them with the best care possible (and we’ll do the same for you).
To learn more about our practice or to schedule an appointment at any Beaumont Family Dentistry office in Lexington, call 859-223-2120 or use our online form.