As a parent, you have a big role to play in keeping your child’s teeth healthy and clean to help them prevent cavities and set them up for excellent oral care for life. Prevention starts at home with good eating habits and a daily oral hygiene routine.
At Lakeview Dental Centre, we believe that all children should enjoy coming to their dental appointments. Our team of professionals strives to make every appointment as relaxing, friendly, and pleasant as possible for your child. We have a play area with books and toys, in-ceiling televisions in the treatment rooms, and special prizes after their appointment is done. We do our best to make the experience enjoyable!
When your child can write (not print) his or her name, your child is ready to do a good job brushing. Children need to learn good dental habits from a young age in order to maintain their oral health into their teen and adult years. Teens lead busy lives and regular checkups will remind them to take care of their teeth and gums.
By encouraging proper dental care and techniques in a comfortable and caring environment, our younger patients have an enjoyable time at the office and are eager to continue future dental visits. Our team is exceptional at communicating with children of all ages. 2/5 in our office are parents themselves and have many years of experience in child hygiene and treatment.
Book an appointmentBelow are some general guidelines for dental health that parents may consider as their child grows and develops.
Did you know that one of the risk factors for tooth decay and gum disease for children is the amount of bacteria present in their parents’ mouths? Babies are born without bacteria in their mouths; however, bacteria can be transmitted through contact from the caregiver.
Putting a child to sleep with a sugary drink or milk will cause baby bottle caries (tooth decay) that are hard to treat at a young age. This issue often requires a visit to a specialist that could put the child under general anesthesia for treatment.
Using a small brush and water or a very small amount of non-fluoridated toothpaste, clean the first set of teeth gently. We recommend MI Paste for children due to its many benefits and exceptional safety rating. Fluoridated toothpaste is recommended only when your child is able to spit (around the age of 3).
At this age you need to make sure your child is taking the appropriate supplements, like Vit D or Fluoride supplements if necessary as the first tooth might come in. Discuss with your dentist if you have any concerns about teething and plan for your child’s first dental visit.
The first dental visit is usually short and involves very little treatment. We may ask you to sit in the dental chair and hold your child during the examination. You may also be asked to wait in the reception area during part of the visit so that a trusting relationship can be built between your child and your dentist.
If the child has older siblings, consider bringing the younger child along to get him/her used to the office. During the appointment, we will gently examine your child’s teeth and gums and we may clean your child’s teeth and apply topical fluoride to help protect teeth against decay. If your child is older, dental x-rays might be taken to check for cavities. We will make sure your child is receiving adequate fluoride at home. Most importantly, we will review with you how to clean and care for your child’s teeth.
We suggest you prepare your child the same way you would before their first haircut or trip to the shoe store. Your child’s reaction to his first visit to the dentist may surprise you.
Take your child for a “preview” of the office. Read books with them about going to the dentist. Review with them what the dentist will be doing at the time of the first visit, which is to check their smile and count their teeth. Speak positively about your own dental experiences. Kids are sensitive to the words of their parents, so it’s especially important to speak positively about going to the dentist. Avoid using words like “shot,” “hurt” or “pain”. Instead use positive words to make the visit interesting and fun.
Our staff will also introduce some dental vocabulary to your child to help him/her understand dentistry at a kid’s level, like “sugar bugs” for dental plaque.
Examine your mouth, teeth and gums, evaluate adverse habits like thumb sucking, check to see if you need fluoride, teach you about cleaning your teeth and suggest a schedule for regular dental visits.
Limit the frequency of meals and snacks, encourage brushing, flossing, and rinsing, watch what your child drinks, avoid giving your child sticky foods, make treats part of meals, and choose nutritious snacks.
Dental sealants are very effective preventive measures and can be applied when permanent teeth erupt, which is typically between the ages of 6-14 years old. If there are any concerns regarding the alignment of the permanent teeth or development of the jaws, we will discuss orthodontic treatment options.
Teens are very conscious about the health and appearance of their mouth. We can take advantage of this and stress the importance of oral health measures, like brushing and flossing to freshen breath, and reducing sugar intake to avoid cavities.
