Keeping Your Child’s Teeth Healthy

February has a few celebratory occasions within its short 28 days, but you may not have heard of one of them: National Children’s Dental Health Month. It can be particularly challenging to get your kid excited about visiting the dentist or orthodontist, and framing these professionals in a positive light can take some extra work on the parenting end. One way to get your child on board with a good oral hygiene routine is to tell them the “why” behind it all. Colgate.com states, “tooth decay remains the most common chronic childhood disease,” but it is usually entirely preventable with the proper education and awareness.

Children are curious creatures and tend to ask a lot of questions when it comes to first-time experiences (and everything else under the sun). Telling your child their permanent teeth are the only ones they’ll get is key to ensuring they take care of their chompers. If you have an especially stubborn kid, showing them photos of mouths that haven’t been well-kept could be a good tactic.

When to See an Orthodontist for the First Time

Health experts recommend children first see an orthodontist at the age of 7 to evaluate if they’ll need early intervention. This orthodontic treatment is also referred to as “interceptive treatment,” as it is performed while baby teeth are still hanging on tight in your child’s smile.This age bracket allows professionals to have enough permanent teeth present to evaluate how the child’s smile will likely develop; this assessment can also identify potential problems before they even begin. It is imperative to be proactive on this front as dental issues can cause severe pain and discomfort during an already-stressful time in life. 

Your interceptive treatment consultation will result in one of these three outcomes: 

1. No treatment needed 
2. Treatment might be needed in the future upon further development 
3. Problems have been identified that will call for early treatment.

Main Issues Early Orthodontic Treatment Addresses

The American Association of Orthodontists names these issues as causes for concern that are best addressed before a child’s jaws are fully developed and all of the adult teeth have erupted:

• Underbites – when the lower front teeth are in front of the upper front teeth
• Crossbites – when the jaw shifts to one side
• Very crowded teeth
• Excessively spaced teeth
• Extra or missing teeth
• Teeth that meet abnormally, or don’t meet at all
• Thumb, finger, or pacifier-sucking that is affecting tooth or jaw growth

Whether these problems are inherited or a result of an accident, they can be better solved the earlier they are spotted. Your child might need a removable retainer, traditional braces, or Invisalign First. Help ease your mind and lessen the cost by investing in your child’s smile early on.

How to Celebrate Children’s Dental Health Month

Let’s get children to start treating their smiles like their best, lifelong friends. Here are some of the ways Fravel Brewer Orthodontics suggests celebrating National Children’s Dental Month with your kids. 

1. Watch a fun video about developing your very own brushing routine.
2. Find a printable tooth brushing chart to create a reward system for doing a stellar job with smile care.
3. Let your child get involved by picking out their own new toothbrush, toothpaste, or flossers.

Fravel Brewer Orthodontics celebrates children’s dental health all year long and wants to be a hub of information when it comes to investing in your kids’ oral care. We seek to be partners with parents in tackling tooth-related lessons and aiding your children in forming a healthy relationship with their dental care professionals.