When you become a parent, the health of your child becomes one of your biggest priorities. However, it isn’t just their general wellbeing that is important. The health and condition of their teeth will also play a large part in their long-term medical future. This is because poor dental hygiene and issues such as gum disease have been shown as more common in patients who experience chronic health problems. As such, protecting your child’s oral health should be just as much of a priority as making sure that they are up to date with their vaccinations.

There are lots of things that you can do at home to help support your child’s dental health. These range from teaching them about the importance of brushing their teeth to eating a healthy, balanced diet. However, you certainly aren’t alone in your child’s oral care. A great pediatric dentist is your greatest professional support when it comes to the health and condition of your child’s teeth. Here’s why.

 

Pediatric dentistry services: an overview

Pediatric dentistry services are usually delivered with the youngest of patients in mind and are designed to support your child’s oral health as they grow. This helps to ensure you’re your child’s teeth are in the best possible at all times, and that their second teeth erupt how and when they should. To make this possible, there are a variety of different pediatric dentistry services. These tend to vary between practices. However, typically they include some or all of the following elements:

- Regular monitoring appointments (including family block appointments)

- Cavity risk assessments

- Professional cleaning

- Repairs or restorations

- Fluoride treatments to strengthen your child’s natural teeth

- Dental sealants which help to protect your child’s natural teeth

- Dealing with failed eruptions and retained baby teeth

- Early assessment for orthodontic issues

- Help with childhood behaviors that can impact teeth such as thumb-sucking or prolonged use of a pacifier

- Dietary recommendations to support healthy teeth

- Education on the importance of brushing and flossing teeth

 

Prompt orthodontic referral

One of the biggest benefits of pediatric dentistry is the close monitoring of your child’s teeth that it ensures. This is particularly important when it comes to orthodontics. Orthodontics is most often used to improve the appearance and alignment of crooked, twisted, protruding, crowded or gapped teeth, and to correct problems with the way teeth come together when the mouth is closed. If any of these issues affect your child, it is important that they are corrected at the right time. Orthodontic treatment is usually carried out in the pre-teen and teenage years and this is because it is far easier to get the developing jaw and teeth to move at this time. Contrary to what many people believe, orthodontic treatment is crucial for the health of your child’s teeth, as well as their appearance. This is because poorly aligned teeth and those which don’t come together properly when you bite down are more likely to be affected by decay. Patients with these issues are also more likely to experience gum disease, broken/eroded teeth and a variety of other problems.

When your child sees a pediatric dentist, the development of their teeth will be monitored from early on, meaning that they can get a prompt orthodontic referral and the treatment that they need at the best time.    

 

Protect your child’s long-term health

As we already know, there is a direct link between dental and general health and studies have found that people who are diagnosed with serious conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disorder and more are considerably more likely to have poor oral health and in particular, advanced gum disease. Gum disease is caused by the migration of clear, sticky plaque that forms on our teeth when we don’t brush/floss them properly, spreading onto the gum tissue. This causes irritation and eventually infection. When the bacteria from advanced gum disease get into the bloodstream, they can pass around your child’s body to the major organs and affect them, causing problems to develop. Gum disease is one of the biggest threats to our oral health, but with the support of a professional such as a pediatric dentist, it can be kept at bay and you can protect your child’s long-term health and wellbeing.  

 

Give your child confidence in their smile

Everyone deserves to feel confident in sharing their smile. Unfortunately, for those patients who dislike the appearance of their teeth, perhaps due to orthodontic issues or lots of signs of damage or decay, it can be very difficult to share a smile with other people. However, when your child has the right dental support in place from an early age, they are less likely to experience problems that affect the appearance of their teeth and if they do, they can get treatment to restore their smile. This can help them to look and feel more confident in the future.

For more information about pediatric dentistry, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Ramona Sabbaghian and Dr. Anahita Sabaghian today!