Some older adults among us will no doubt remember when they were young and the main dental advice they received from their elders was to ‘give your teeth a quick brush before bedtime’. While this is certainly better than nothing, it falls far short of what we know today to be essential oral health care if we want to maintain healthy teeth and gums.
As adults, we have come to learn better ways over time, often contradicting what we earlier believed to be best. What better gift to give to our children then, than good quality early guidance on how to have healthy and great looking teeth throughout most of their life.
With good education and practical care, as parents, we will hopefully be able to avoid the stress of seeing our children in a lot of pain with toothaches caused by eating too many sweets, combined with poor oral care at home. Let us begin the journey from babies through to their adult years.
As we know, most babies are not born with teeth and these start to appear somewhere around six months old. Prior to their eruption, it is still advisable to wipe baby’s gums gently with a clean damp cloth after feeding. This will help to prevent any gum infections. You should also avoid the temptation to dip their pacifier in anything sweet.
At around one year old, it is time to bring your baby to our Staines dental clinic. While it is very unlikely that any treatment will be needed, it is always good just to check. This is usually a very gentle visit and some studies indicate that babies that attend a dental practice this early on become accustomed to the sounds, smells and sights which helps them to be less afraid as they grow older.
This is the earliest stage where babies start to really noticeably develop. They can be very willful at this age and it can be all too easy to give in to them for a quieter life. At this stage of their life it is important not only to make sure that they brush their teeth twice a day at the appropriate times, but to supervise, and help where necessary, while they do so.
This is a good age too, to restrict the amount of sweets that they want to eat and replace them with more tooth friendly products. This will hopefully help to change their taste buds and help them avoid tooth damaging foods later on in life.
Finally, of course, they should see our children’s dentist every six months for regular check ups.
Much of the above still applies for this group. You may wish to let them take more control of brushing their teeth, but we recommend that you feel confident that they will brush properly if you do so. Even if you do feel confident, it is advisable to check in on them when they are brushing, from time to time.
Dietary control becomes more difficult at this age as, although you may provide meals at home, they may swap foods at school. Try to keep your eye on this as best as you can.
Many of us can probably remember how independent we wanted to be at this age and how important it was to us. Indeed, this is part of the process of becoming an adult. Mistakes will be made despite the best attempts of the parents.
We can hope that what we have taught them so far will stick with them throughout their teenage years, but of course, new challenges may come along during this time. Cigarettes, alcohol and possible vaping (and potentially recreational drugs) are all challenges to their oral health. Even seemingly harmless soft and fizzy drinks can erode the protective enamel on their teeth. However much they may seem reluctant to, making an effort to get them to their dental appointments will pay off over the longer run.
The Clarence Dental Practice provides general dentistry for all ages; from one year old babies to patients in the later years of their life. As we believe that prevention is key to good oral health, the earlier we see youngsters the better. We offer a friendly service to help them get over any anxiety that they might have and can provide age specific services such as fluoride treatments, fissure sealants and sports guards for those that require them. If you are a parent of babies or young children and would like to see how we can help you, why not get in touch with our Staines dentist by calling us on 01784 463695 today.
Address: 21a Clarence Street, Staines upon Thames, Surrey, TW18 4SU
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