Listening to the radio on my way into work one morning, I heard a mother informing the disc jockey, and the rest of the listening population, that her doctor had told her that her two and a half year old was now ready for his first trip to the dentist. Unfortunately, this woman was given incorrect information. There are many misconceptions about when a child should have his or her first dental visit. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that your child should be seen by their first birthday. Even though this is the accepted guideline, there still seems to be confusion and reluctance by parents, and even healthcare providers, to adhere to this guideline. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has stressed the following reasons for this early dental visit. The following is printed on the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry website (aapd.org).
Benefits of the Year One Dental Visit
1. Visiting a pediatric dentist by the time the first baby tooth appears enables the child to begin a lifelong preventive dental care program to minimize tooth decay and cavities.
2. Pediatric dentists can detect early tooth decay, provide parents with information on proper oral and facial development, determine fluoride needs and more.
3. The year one dental visit can actually save money. A study in the journal Pediatrics showed that children who have their first dental visit before age one have 40 percent lower dental costs in their first five years than children who do not, due to the cost of dental and medical procedures that may be necessary as a result of poor oral health.
At your child’s first dental visit you should expect your child to be examined by the dentist and talk with you about your child’s oral hygiene, diet and habits. The child may also have some topical fluoride placed on his or her teeth. This visit is informative in nature and stresses the prevention of tooth decay. Parents should come prepared with any questions about their child’s dental health. The following is also from aapd.org highlighting how you should be taking care of your infant’s teeth.
Recommended At-home Dental Care During Year One
Even before baby teeth appear, infants need proper oral care and fluoride supplements to help developing teeth grow strong and avoid early childhood caries.
1. Parents should clean infant mouths and gums regularly with a soft infant toothbrush or cloth and water.
2. Children older than six months need fluoride supplements if their drinking water does not contain enough fluoride. Fluoride supplementation in infants has been shown to reduce tooth decay by as much as 50 percent.
1. Infants and young children have other unique caries-risk factors including development of dietary habits and childhood food preferences. Breast-feeding at will should be avoided after the first primary tooth begins to erupt and other dietary carbohydrates are introduced.
• Parents should be encouraged to have infants drink from a cup as they approach their first birthday. Infants should be weaned from the bottle by 12-14 months of age.
• Baby teeth should be brushed at least twice a day with an aged-appropriate sized toothbrush using a "smear" of fluoridated toothpaste
Stephanie DeFilippo, DDS is a pediatric dentist at Drs. Null, Seidel and Dental Associates.
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