As a parent, one of your top priorities is to keep your little one’s smile safe while it’s still growing and developing. However, there are a lot of myths about children’s dentistry, and it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction at times. To help you make more informed decisions for your child’s oral health, here are the facts behind 4 all-too-common misconceptions.
Myth 1: You Don’t Need to Brush Baby Teeth
Since the baby teeth are meant to fall out eventually, it’s easy to assume that there’s no need to brush them. But the fact of the matter is that the baby teeth are more important than you might realize. Not only do they allow your child to chew their food properly, but they’re also essential for early speech development. Furthermore, if the baby teeth fall out prematurely, the permanent teeth may come in crooked.
In short, it’s important to keep the baby teeth in good condition until they’re ready to come out. As such, you should start brushing the baby teeth as soon as they erupt.
Myth 2: Your Child Doesn’t Need Help Brushing Their Teeth
Children aren’t born knowing how to brush their teeth. It takes time for them to develop the proper motor skills to clean their smiles as thoroughly as possible. As such, you should plan on helping your child brush their teeth until they reach 7 or 8. Even when your child starts brushing by themselves, you should monitor them at first to make sure they aren’t overlooking any spots in their mouth.
Myth 3: Juice is Healthy for Your Child’s Smile
Fruit juice often contains significantly more sugar than many parents realize. Needless to say, overindulging in any type of sugary beverage could put your child at a higher risk of developing cavities. On top of that, putting juice in a sippy cup could make the problem even worse. If your child is slowly drinking juice out of their sippy cup throughout the day, it will extend the amount of time that their teeth are exposed to sugar. To protect your child’s smile, you should limit their exposure to juice and have them drink more water instead.
Myth 4: Kids Don’t Need to See the Dentist Until They Have All Their Teeth
The longer you wait to bring your child to the dentist, the more likely they are to develop cavities. In general, your child’s first dental appointment should be scheduled no later than their first birthday (or within six months of receiving their first tooth). Starting routine dental visits as early in life as possible can go a long way toward protecting your child’s teeth and gums.
If there’s anything else you want to know about children’s dental health, you should speak to your dentist. You can count on them to make sure that you have all the facts you need to make the best choices for your child’s smile.
About the Practice
At Amherst Dental Group, our experienced dentists strive to bring families high-quality dental care so that they can enjoy healthy smiles for life. We’ve gone out of our way to maintain a kid-friendly dental office where children can receive gentle checkups, cleanings, and any other services they might need to keep their growing smiles safe. If you would like to schedule an appointment at our practice in Williamsville for yourself or your child, visit our website or call (716) 689-8882.