When should I plan the first dental visit of my child?
Baby’s 1st dental visit should be by 1st birthday.
The AAPD ( American Academy of pediatric dentistry) and AGD (Academy of general dentistry) recommend that you should plan the visit of your child with the dentist by the age of six months of first tooth eruption (6 months to one year).
The kids who start their dental visits early have a better attitude toward the dentist and their oral health.
The overall importance of oral health in relation to the total health of your child is equally important.
Tooth decay in a child can cause-
Issues with speaking, eating, and learning
Deterioration of quality of life
Social issues and behavioral problems
Milk teeth are going to fall, still, it is necessary to treat them if they have any problem
Milk teeth are necessary to be kept in good health. There are many reasons for this-
- Milk teeth are natural space maintainers for permanent dentition. If they are removed before their natural age, then there will be a lack of space for permanent teeth and thus permanent teeth may erupt at an abnormal position causing malocclusion.
- Under your child’s milk teeth, permanent tooth buds are present. A severe infection in milk teeth can leave a hypoplastic white spot on the permanent tooth. These are scars on the permanent tooth due to defects in enamel.
- Multiple infected milk teeth are often associated with decay in permanent teeth that erupt at the age of 6 to 12 years. When the germs are present in milk teeth, it can easily affect the permanent teeth too leading to early decay and caries and permanent loss of teeth may also occur.
- Early loss of permanent teeth may lead to other dental issues like teeth migration and jaw diseases.
Types of treatment for children
- Infant oral health exams
- Habit counseling like infant feeding habits, finger-sucking habits, etc.
- Preventive dentistry- cleaning, fluoride treatment, diet recommendations
- Early assessment and treatment of improper bite and mal-aligned teeth (orthodontics)
- Teeth fillings and Root canal treatment
- Management of gum diseases
- Treatment of dental injuries like fractures, tooth avulsion, or displaced tooth
The earlier the dental visit, the better the chances of preventing dental problems. So don’t ignore your child’s milk teeth and be a good parent by guiding your little one toward healthy dental practices. Don’t forget to visit a dentist once a year to get preventive check-ups!