Did you know that poor oral health, dental disease, and tooth pain can put kids at a serious disadvantage in school? It’s true. According to a study from the University of Southern California, “children who reported having recent tooth pain were four times more likely to have a low grade point average—below the median GPA of 2.8—when compared to children without oral pain.”
That’s why our Tuscaloosa pediatric dental office focuses so much on prevention. We think preventing cavities is a much better solution than filling them!
Tips to help keep your kid’s teeth in top shape:
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Start professional dental care early.
Please bring your child for a visit with Riverview Dental Designs around his/her first birthday or no more than six months after the first tooth has erupted. This allows us to keep an eye on jaw development and keep teeth in great shape so no cavities and decay take hold. Early dental visits also allow your child to become comfortable with the dental office atmosphere and learn to trust us before he or she needs to have any major dental care.
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Never send a bottle of milk or juice to bed.
The sugars in these liquids pool around children’s teeth overnight causing severe acid attacks. Children as young as two years old can develop dozens of cavities from sleeping with a bottle.
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Monitor and help with toothbrushing.
Kids do not have the manual dexterity, or, at times, the patience, to get their teeth and gums as clean as necessary. Once they are old enough to brush themselves, usually about the time they can tie their shoes, time them to be sure they brush for two minutes or more.
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Use pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste for children two years or older.
Be sure your child can spit well before using anything other than infant paste or dipping the toothbrush in a fluoridated rinse.
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Floss.
Start flossing between your child’s teeth as soon as he or she has two teeth that touch each other.
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Ask us about dental sealants to help protect your child’s teeth from decay.
For more information about children’s dental health, call our Tuscaloosa dental office today. Both Dr. Riley and Dr. Diaz would be happy to answer any of your questions.
