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At Maidstone Dental, we focus on prevention; It’s the best way to ensure our patients don’t develop nasty oral issues later down the line. Preventative dentistry for children is essential to ensuring your child develops a good lifelong relationship with oral health and oral healthcare providers.Has your child had their first dental visit yet?
There are many reasons why children should take care of their teeth, even if they’ll eventually be replaced. The first reason is that some children will still need to use their baby teeth until they reach their teenage years. Maintaining good oral habits not only ensures that they continue to have good dental hygiene throughout adulthood but ensures their teeth remain healthy. Additionally, if teeth are not cared for, at any age, it can lead to complications such as decay, pain, abscesses or facial swelling that require expensive treatments. Decayed baby teeth can also lead to permanent damage on any adult teethhiding underneath the gums.
For more information on how to take care of your child’s teeth, check out this post.
Are you worried about your child’s teeth? Talk to us today.
We recommend that babies only consume breastmilk, formula or water to ensure healthy teeth and gums. As soon as their teeth come in, it’s time to start brushing them. You can brush babies’ teeth with a piece of gauze wrapped around your finger or a child-size soft toothbrush and some water.Although some things are genetic, there are a lot of environmental factors that can affect how our mouths and gums develop. One such factor is prolonged bottle use. It is recommended that babies are weaned off the bottle and pacifier by the time they turn one to prevent teeth alignment issues are they continue to develop.
they’re teething, babies and toddlers will experience:
Teething can be painful. To ease their pain, you can rub their gums with a small amount of teething gel or give them a teething ring to play with and bite on.We recommend you book your baby’s first dental appointment six months after their first tooth comes in.
1. Use a small soft toothbrush designed for your child’s age group. If your child is under 18 months of age, a bit of water on their toothbrush is fine. Once they reach 18 months of age, we recommend a tiny smear of low-fluoride toothpaste on their toothbrush.
2. In front of a mirror, position yourself behind your child to help them feel secure and let you see the inside of their mouth. Cup your child’s chin in your hands and have their head rest against your body.Once they turn two, you can let them hold their toothbrush and brush under your supervision. This will help your toddler feel more enthusiastic about brushing their teeth. Most toddlers will hate having to sit still and brush their teeth. But a quick brush is better than nothing and will ingrain the habit into their daily routine. If your child is protesting, try and make teeth brushing fun. Play some music, sing them a teeth-brushing song, allow them to play with their favourite toy or even pretend the toothbrush is a train – like during feeding time. Finally, it might be convenient, but we advise toddlers to stay away from sippy cups. Sippy cups can be detrimental to your child’s speech and feeding development. Instead, use straws or open cups as they promote the development of tongue muscles and lip closure, respectively, to promote speech development.Have you booked a check-up for your toddler?Book an appointment with Maidstone Dental now. Our dentists are trained to make the experience fun and educational for your toddler.
Good dental hygiene is essential, no matter your age. To ensure children have healthy teeth, it’s important to develop good dental hygiene habits, as well as maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. We recommend that you help your child brush their teeth until they turn six or seven years of age to ensure thorough brushing and to book a dental appointment every six months. A healthy diet will not only promote healthy teeth but also prevent decay. Feeding your child a balanced diet full of fruit and veggies is sufficient to protect your their teeth. Avoid feeding your child too many sugary treats, and ensure they drink water after consuming anything sugary.
Looking for dental-friendly recipes your child will love? Check out our post.
As children will begin to lose their baby teeth when they turn five or six, we also recommend that you book an orthodontic appointment when your child turns seven to prepare for any corrective treatments. In doing so, we can try to ensure that your child avoids expensive teeth alignment treatments by putting in place a preventative dental plan.
Hopefully, by the time your child reaches their teenage years, they should have developed some good hygiene habits – including brushing twice a day, regular flossing and twice yearly dental check-ups with a dentist and orthodontist.Although you can’t stop your teenager from consuming sugary foods, you can limit the amount they have and teach them to wash down sweets with water – to wash away any lingering sugars in their mouth. Something to look out for in your children is chalky teeth, caused by bacteria in your mouth reacting to the sugars in your diet. Early signs of chalky teeth can be reversed.
When all their adult teeth have come in, chatting with the orthodontist about teeth alignment solutions is essential. Although it can boost confidence, having straight teeth isn’t just about appearances, it will also assist in keeping your child’s teeth and body healthy throughout adulthood.
Children and teenagers may also need to pay a visit to the orthodontist for mouth guards and other oral protective gear to protect their teeth in any competitive sports they partake in.
At Maidstone Dental, we offer services for the whole family.
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Dr. Marcus is the best dentist I ever had he is kind, calm and he was really gentle with my teeth, I highly recommend him . The clinic is really nice, the lady at the reception is really nice. Definitely the best clinic!
Lucie LecanteurHighly professional and friendly service especially by Dr. Tiffany Ke
Stam KonsDr. Marcus is fantastic. He is kind, calm and extremely gentle with my teeth, I couldn’t recommend him more for someone who is scared of the pain associated with dental appointments. The clinic is a bit on the pricey side but it’s worth it for the service. And a TV on the roof is cool too lol.
cheese 5Dr Tu Anh Pham is the best dentist I have ever had. She explains things well and makes sure you know what is happening throughout your appointment. She is also the gentlest dentist I have ever been to! I highly recommend her - especially for people who don’t like going to the dentist!
Stacey GentilcoreBest dental experience I have ever had. The clinic have a really holistic approach to dental with weighted blankets and a Tv screen on the roof when you recline to watch calming nature documentaries. Would definitely recommend if you are anxious about going to the dentist!
Laura BonacciI had Marcus for the first time as my dentist and he was so nice and calm. He voice is so soothing and knows what he is doing. He listens and understands the customers needs and has a excellent helper on the side! Vanessa was also a brilliant lady, helping Marcus with cleaning and assisting the mouth. Lovely experience for the first time too and will definitely come back for a check-up again in a few months.
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