When our Toluca Lake Family Dentists start working with a pediatric patient, we also, inevitably, start working with our patient’s parent or guardian as well! This is because providing high-quality pediatric care is truly a team effort; it combines in-office professional care with at-home oral hygiene routines. That’s why our dental team has put together this short review of key priorities in pediatric dentistry. Let’s get started!
We all know that our child’s primary teeth will fall out in time, when their permanent teeth are ready to come in. However, there are still a number of good reasons to maintain primary or “baby” teeth:
- Allowing your child to practice and perfect strong oral hygiene habits before permanent teeth come in
- Retaining primary teeth encourages healthy speech development
- Enabling young patients to expand their diets
- Promoting healthy self-esteem
As a care-giver, one of the best things that you can do is to employ the “tell, show, do” method when teaching your child about dental hygiene. You start by explaining how and why we clean our smiles. Then, you demonstrate proper brushing and flossing techniques, using your own smile as a model. Finally, you supervise your child as he or she puts these skills into practice.
When we’re teaching our children how to clean their smiles at home, we want to emphasize:
- Brushing morning and night
- Flossing at night
- Brushing for at least two minutes every time that we brush
- Using small circular “buffing” motions to clean teeth
- Applying gentle pressure with our toothbrush
During your child’s professional dental appointments, your dental team may recommend that your child undergo topical fluoride treatments, or have sealants applied. Both of these treatments are designed to protect your child’s existing natural tooth structure from bacteria. Fluoride works to strengthen dental enamel, while sealants cover enamel with a thin layer of resin.
Working together, we can help your child develop healthy oral hygiene habits that will set them for success in the years to come. To schedule a consultation with our Toluca Lake family dentists, please feel free to give our office a call, or to use the Contact Us page on our website to submit an inquiry.