Young Teeth – The Importance Of Our Burton Children’s Dentist

Make the new year a time to help your children get on the right track to good oral health.

Christmas has been and gone and the (over) excitement of your children has finally abated, probably due to an imminent return to school. As things settle and time and some semblance of normality returns to our lives, now might be a good time to put a few things into order that may have slipped a little over the last few months.

As a parent, we always want what is best for our children. Understandably this usually focuses on their health and education. Although health is a key focus, unfortunately the oral health aspect of our children sometimes takes a back seat. For some reason, it is often easier to persuade our children to see a doctor than it is to see a dentist. We hope that in 2024, this can change with the aid of our friendly children’s dentists at SG Dental and Implant Centre.

Make an appointment

The first thing to do is to check whether or not you have made an appointment for your children to have a check up at our Burton dental clinic. Regular oral health checks are just as important for children as they are for adults. Even with younger children who may still have their ‘baby teeth’, this is essential. Firstly, no parent wants to hear their child crying in pain with a bad toothache but also, although these teeth will eventually fall out to be replaced by adult teeth, it doesn’t mean that they are not important. Baby teeth act as a ‘placeholder’ for when our adult teeth erupt. If these are lost prematurely, it can cause the adult teeth to come through unevenly. This can have a knock on effect if a number of them are lost sooner than they should be. With professional and regular supervision, this can hopefully be avoided.

Are my children too young?

Parents sometimes ask us at what age they should bring their children to see a dentist. The answer is usually around their first birthday. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, although it is rare for any problems to be detected at such a young age, it is good to make sure and to intervene early where any exist. Generally though, it is a good idea to introduce them to the sights, sounds and smell of a dental environment. It is thought that this helps to minimise the likelihood of developing a dental phobia, something that can have a devastating impact on their oral health well into their adult life.

Teenage trauma

It is one thing to pick up a young child and put them in the child seat and drive them to see a dentist. It is another thing entirely to persuade your teenage son or daughter to attend. They are unlikely to want you to go with them to hold their hand, so how do you persuade them to go?

The chances are that if you have brought them from an early age and on a regular basis, they may do so fairly easily. If this isn’t the case though, you may need to resort to bribery and tactics to get them there. We would prefer if they came voluntarily of course but especially if they have only been irregularly in the past, anything that gets them to attend regularly is worthwhile we feel.

This is an age when we have less control over their lives and especially what they eat. We may feed them a healthy, nutritious and tooth friendly diet at home, but once they are out with their friends they may well eat a lot of sugary food and drinks. In the later teen years, some of them may also take up habits such as smoking or even recreational drugs which can cause serious damage to their oral health. Without professional care, they could end up with some serious oral health issues that they may regret in later life.

From both a practical and aesthetic viewpoint, the teenage years are also important for straight and even teeth. Orthodontic wear at this age is common and, like most things, is best treated as soon as possible, although adult orthodontics can be used in later life.

Future proofing their teeth and gums

Our children’s dentists don’t only look for problems although they do this as well and treat them where necessary, but also look to inform children of all ages of the importance of looking after their teeth and gums. Older teenagers especially are probably more likely to accept this type of advice from a professional than from a parent who they may well be rebelling against at that time.

Although we know that it can be difficult to persuade your child to see a dentist, it is really important and failing to do so may cause regret later on in their life. If you would like to book an appointment to see our Burton children’s dentist, please call SG Dental and Implant Centre today on 01283 845345.