The First Tooth: The Importance of Early Dental Care for Children

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Dental care is probably not among the few things associated with a baby’s health that the parents consider at an early age. And that’s the wrong approach! However, it is quite important for you to start taking care of the child’s teeth right from the moment you see their first tooth.

The earlier you seek dental care for your children, the better it will be for them to keep up with their hygiene habits while growing up. Unfortunately, some kids are prone to experience tooth decay and experience growth of weaker teeth, probably due to genetics or other reasons.

The point is parents shouldn’t wait for their kids to show symptoms of dental problems before seeking a first dentist for them. Early dentistry for kids can help them attain a lifetime of healthy gums and teeth. So, let’s try and understand the importance of early dental care for your little ones.

Why is Early Dental Care of Utmost Importance?

Early dental care is quite important for a lot of reasons. It not just prevents possible tooth decay but also helps them hold onto good oral hygiene practices. Periodic dental visits can help doctors spot adverse oral conditions in kids immediately. Neglecting those conditions might worsen the disease, resulting in an expensive and painful cure in the long run.

For such reasons, it is quite essential for parents to take their kids to dentists right when they see the eruption of their first tooth or mostly before they turn one, whichever is first. It is true that parents believe the baby’s primary teeth are always going to fall off and get replaced with permanent teeth. But that shouldn’t hold you back from seeking dental care for them.

It is because there are certain gum problems that can be passed onto the permanent teeth as well. Thus, such adversities can result in constant damage to the kids while growing up. Proper care and at-home oral hygiene habits are all that are essential to preserve the dental health of the kids.

In a US survey that continued from 2011 to 2016, around 23% of all child respondents, aged between 2 to 5 years, had dental caries in their temporary teeth. Thus, you can conclude that tooth decay is a common problem with kids, considering their food habits. This statistic is what raises an alarming situation for parents to consider the oral health of their kids, right from their toddlerhood or infancy.

Benefits of Seeking Early Dental Care For Your Children

Now that you can relate to the importance of seeking help from kids friendly dentist in San Antonio at the earliest, let’s try and understand how it is beneficial. Here are some benefits for you to seek early dental care for your kids:

1. Prevent Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is a very common dental problem in all children. Irrespective of the reasons, it can be prevented with proper dental care at an early age. The dentists will educate you to help your kids maintain good oral hygiene by regular brushing & flossing. Along with that, the experts will help you follow a nutritious and balanced diet to strengthen the healthy growth of teeth. Following that, periodic dental check-ups would add a final touch in preventing tooth decay symptoms from arising.

2. Better Development of Speech

One of the most important benefits of seeking early dental care for children is to help them with proper speech development. Baby teeth play a very crucial role in developing speech. And if you are neglecting the same, be ready to witness at least some noticeable speech problems in your kids while they grow up. Pronouncing most common words or sounds in speech requires teeth and tongue to function together. In babies, if the baby teeth aren’t in good condition, your effort towards teaching your kid to pronounce words might not go as you plan. So, early dental care is of utmost importance!

3. Prevents Gum Diseases and Cavities

Baby’s tooth enamel is thinner than that of the adults. Thus, they are more prone to experience cavity problems right after the eruption of their first tooth. Cavities can spread deeper into the tooth and might cause pain, infection, or discomfort to the baby. Not just that, but without timely attention, the cavity might also affect the underlying adult tooth. Worsened cavities might lead the dentists to extract the kids’ temporary tooth before the natural age for it to fall out. In such cases, the permanent tooth might not get enough room to erupt comfortably.

4. Prevent the Gum Diseases

Children can also develop gum diseases, just like adults. In order to prevent gum infections, you might have to follow routine dental checkups. Dentists will help you follow the basic oral hygiene habits for your child to prevent these infections from building up. As per experts, parents are advised to clean the child’s mouth with a soft cloth after meals, even before the first tooth grows out.

Conclusion

So, this was a brief explanation of why seeking a kids friendly dentist in San Antonio is important, right after or before the eruption of your child’s first tooth. If you want your kid to be healthy on an all-round basis, do not skip on the dentistry needs. A good smile and oral health contribute to anyone’s confidence toward living a good social and overall life. So, you shouldn’t just take that away from your kid!

If that seems like an alert to you for considering dental care for your kid, it might not be too late. Get in touch with Evans Family Dentistry, and consult the best kids friendly dentist in San Antonio to attend to your child’s oral care needs. Book your appointment today!