At Heavenly Dental, we are very child-friendly and strive to make dental visits fun and caring for the whole family. One of our favourite things is seeing how children grow up between their visits to our office! We see a lot of children and our approach with pediatric dentistry is that we are partners with the parents in providing good dental care to their children. We take time to help parents understand how their child is doing and explain the option of treatments available (for example, the pros and cons of using sealant for kids’ teeth).
Parents are key figures in helping a child establish good oral hygiene habits from an early age. Children observe their parents’ habits and learn what is important from them. Helping your child set a routine of thorough daily brushing and flossing will ensure proper dental development in the future. Daily flossing helps to remove plaque as well as prevent gum disease. It’s important to get them into the habit early!
Unless your child has dental disease or is uncooperative, it’s not necessary to take them to a pediatric dentist. Pediatric dental offices usually charge 10-20% more for their services.
When’s a good time to bring in a child?
A good time for your child’s first visit to the dentist is 6 months after the eruption of the first tooth or 1 year of age. For the first few visits, we look for how the teeth are coming out. We keep the appointments short – 20-30 minutes max and offer the parents tips on how to take care of their child’s teeth. The goal is for the child to get used to seeing Dr. Sarmast on a routine basis and to establish a positive relationship with her. As your child gets older, we start to do teeth cleaning and polishing (around 2.5 – 3 years old). We progress with each child on a case by case basis, depending on when the child is ready.
Should parents let their kids brush and floss themselves?
A lot of parents ask this. We recommend that parents do it for their kids for as long as possible (until they can brush for a full 2 minutes). There are a few ways to tell how effective a child is with his/her teeth brushing. One is using disclosing tablets (you can buy these from the pharmacy). This shows plaque and buildup in red. The other way is using oral rinses, which the child swishes around and spits out. Both methods stain the teeth temporarily and show where the child has missed brushing.