The thought of taking your child to the dentist for the first time may worry some parents. You may be concerned that your child will be scared, that they will react negatively, or that there is something wrong with their teeth. Bringing your child to the dentist is vital to ensure optimal oral health both in childhood and into adulthood. At All About Teeth, we understand that coming to the dentist may be a little intimidating for the little ones and take extra steps to make sure that their experience is pleasant – whether that is by answering all of their questions in a way that they can understand, or even just be giving them a ride in the dental chair. Some of the benefits of bringing your child to the dentist include:

Promoting Good Oral Hygiene Habits from the beginning

One of the most accurate statements about dentistry is that prevention is better than the cure. Taking proper care of your teeth every day (that means through, proper brushing and flossing) can make a huge difference in your overall oral health and minimise the amount of time that you will need to spend in the dental chair. The best time to establish these oral health habits is in childhood and starts with YOU, the parent in combination with your dentist. Bringing your child to the dentist early can give your child the right attitude and enthusiasm when it comes to caring for their teeth, and instil in them good habits that they will carry throughout their life. It also enables them to learn from a professional, to ensure that their technique is correct and that they aren’t missing any spots.

Preventing future dental anxiety

Visiting the dentist might not seem to invite to a child, but with regular visits, they can become used to the dental tools, extended periods in the chair and form a positive association with their dentist. Patients that experience dental anxiety later in life have often not visited the dentist regularly as a child, and find their visits more difficult in adulthood. At All About Teeth, we take special care to ensure that every visit your child makes to the dentist is a positive and enjoyable one, to minimise stress and anxiety.

Managing decay and cavities

A crucial part of any check-up and clean (both for adults and children) is to look for cavities and decay before they develop and cause problems. As children generally tend to eat more sugary foods like candy, their teeth can be prone to decay. Detecting these cavities early means that their treatment is usually quicker and easier, and will prevent the problem from worsening into infection, or more complex dental procedures.

Diagnosing oral developmental issues early

Bringing your child to have their mouth assessed by a professional early means that any oral developmental problems can be addressed. This includes things like crowding of the teeth, missing teeth, crooked teeth or jaw issues, which can greatly impact on the overall health of the mouth. The earlier these problems are seen to, the less invasive the procedure needs to be in the future. You child’s milk teeth lay the path for the adult teeth to grow. If their baby teeth are healthy and are developing correctly, it is more likely that the adult teeth will too. Neglecting your child’s baby teeth “because they will just fall out anyway” can cause them to fall out too early, meaning the remaining teeth may shift to compensate. This can have a knock-on effect, causing the erupting adult teeth to become out-of-place or crooked.

Children’s Dentistry at All About Teeth

At All About Teeth, we genuinely care about the health and well-being of your child. Parents can rest assured knowing that their child’s oral health is in good hands because prevention is better than the cure! To find out more about Children’s Dentistry at All About Teeth in Townsville and Ayr, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team today!