The Major Benefits of Early Childhood Dental Visits

Blog Layout

Baby smiling — Wyoming, MI — Dental South

For a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums, it takes a lifetime of personal and professional care. Starting your child’s daily hygiene with the first tooth eruption is a must; but you should also consider beginning regular dental visits in their early years, around or before their first birthday.

There’s evidence that early dental visits hold a number of benefits that could lead to reduced oral care costs over their lifetime.

Familiarity with professional dental care. Children need to feel comfortable and safe in their surroundings, especially new places. Beginning dental visits early improves the chances your child will view the dentist’s office as a regular part of their life. It’s especially helpful if the dental professional has training and experience with young children to put them at ease.

Early monitoring for dental disease or other problems. A young child’s teeth are highly susceptible to tooth decay. Dental visits that begin early in a child’s life increase our chances of detecting any developing dental problems early. In addition to treating decayed teeth, your child may also need preventative actions like sealants or additional fluoride applications to protect teeth if they are at a higher risk for disease. As the child develops, we may also be able to catch early bite problems: with interventional treatment, it may be possible to reduce future orthodontic costs.

Parental help and support. As we discuss your child’s dental care with you, we’ll be able to provide essential information and training for how to care for their teeth and gums at home. We’ll also be able to ease any common concerns you may have, such as thumb sucking or other oral habits, as well as give you sound advice and techniques for dealing with these problems.

As with other areas of childhood development, starting off on the right foot with oral care can make all the difference to their future dental health. The sooner you begin regular dental visits with your toddler, the better their chances for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

If you would like more information on dental care for children, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Taking the Stress out of Dentistry for Kids.”

Newer Post >

How Long Is the Implant Process? It Depends on Your Bone Health

By Dental South • January 12, 2021

Wyoming dentist, Dental South is a local, trusted dental practice offering general and cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening, implants, veneers & other dental care. Call today to make an appointment!

Want to Improve Your Athletic Performance? Try Tuning Up Your Dental Care

By Dental South • January 12, 2021

After a long hiatus, school athletes are gearing up for another sports year. Given the pandemic, they may be modifying some of their usual habits and practices. But one thing probably won't change: These young athletes will be looking for every way possible to improve their sports performance. And a new research study offers one possible, and surprising, avenue—beefing up their oral hygiene practice. That's the conclusion of the study published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine , a sister publication of the British Journal of Sports Medicine . Working with a group of about 60 elite athletes, a research group in the U.K. found that improving oral health through better hygiene practices might also boost overall sports performance. Because there's some evidence that over 50% of athletes have some form of tooth decay or gum disease, the study's researchers wanted to know if there was a link between athletes' sports performance and their dental problems caused by neglected oral hygiene. And if so, they wanted to see if better hygiene might improve sports performance as well as oral health. Their first step was to establish an initial baseline for the participants with an oral health screening, finding that only around 1 in 10 of the study's participants regularly brushed with fluoride toothpaste or flossed. They then administered a detailed questionnaire developed by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) to gauge the athletes' perception of how their current oral health affected their sports performance. After some basic hygiene training, the athletes were given kits containing a toothbrush, prescription fluoride toothpaste and floss picks. They were then instructed to clean their teeth twice a day. Four months later, researchers found the number of participants who regularly brushed increased to 80%, and flossing more than doubled. What's more, a second OSTRC questionnaire found significant improvement overall in the athletes' perception of their sports performance. As scientific research, these findings still need further testing and validation. But the study does raise the possibility that proper dental care could benefit other areas of your life, including sports participation. Athlete or not, instituting some basic dental care can make a big difference in maintaining a healthy mouth: Brush twice and floss once every day to remove accumulated dental plaque, the main source of dental disease; Get a professional dental cleaning at least twice a year to remove stubborn plaque and tartar; See us if you notice tooth pain or swollen or bleeding gums to stay ahead of developing dental disease. Improving your dental care just might benefit other areas of your life, perhaps even athletic pursuits. We guarantee it will make a healthy difference for your teeth and gums. If you would like more information on how you can improve your dental health, please c ontact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “ Daily Oral Hygiene .”