First Visit by First Birthday

[DeltaDentalWa]

I have read a number of the threads on "Dental" here and have only one thing to say... Please have your child seen by a dentist or pediatric dental trained physician by their first birthday. Having their baby teeth and gums checked by their first birthday will help establish a dental home for the child and get them used to seeing a dentist, hopefully relieving them of dentist anxiety later on down the road. It will also help ensure you are giving your child the best preventive care that will establish a model of behavior that will follow them for the rest of their lives. Yes, cavities in baby teeth can be painful. Yes this pain can prevent them from eating healthy foods, distract them from learning in school and prevent them from smiling, laughing and developing proper speech. And yes, cavities in baby teeth can pass on to permanent teeth causing further damage. Don't compromise your child's oral AND overall health by ignoring their baby teeth. 

So many of the problems I've read about here could have been prevented, so please brush and floss every day and please please take them to the dentist by their first birthday. And keep up on their annual exams. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Id rather brush through the whining and tantrums with my little girl than have her suffer through fillings, extractions or worse, not to mention the financial cost. 

For more information about caring for baby teeth please [Admin Note: Link deleted as promotional posts for commercial websites are not allowed.]

[Adaline'sMama]

Can you please explain how you floss a two year old every day? That would just be about the biggest fight and wind up with bleeding gums on a nightly basis. Is there anyone here who does this?

Also, our dentist flat out told us (and I called around to two more dentists) that there was no point in her coming before two. 

[~Adorkable~]

i brought mine in mostly because i had a few general questions and yeah to get them used to it, we did almost nothing but a "get to know" you visit and him showing me a little about tooth brushing, thing to look for. he also checked their bite because i had a question about that and pointed out that my girl had a tight lip frenum which strangely i had not noticed before. we will watch it and see how/if it affects her teeth.

So im happy i went early (about 18m for us)

but i have a real question about this:

Quote:

 And yes, cavities in baby teeth can pass on to permanent teeth causing further damage.

how in the world can this happen?  does not sound correct, plus not going at 1 is a lot different  than leaving cavities uncared for in the 6 or 7 year old that is finally getting adult teeth.

[DeltaDentalWa]

To floss my toddlers teeth I use those floss sticks. You can buy them in bag of like 90 for just a few dollars. I get mine at Target and they come in colorful animal shapes. She was a little unsure at first, but now if I don't do it she reminds me and grabs one out of her toothbrush drawer. 

First visit by first birthday is recommended and endorsed by The American Dental Association as well as the Delta Dental Plans Association. You can also find a number of articles and resources online. Any dentist who tells you to not bring your child in before two is probably not trained as a pediatric  dentist or just doesn't want to see children that young. Some physicians are also being trained to do oral exams as well, so ask your child's physician if they can check your child's mouth. If not, ask for a recommendation for a good pediatric dentist and then make sure they are in your plans network to ensure greater out of pocket savings. At your first visit, the dentist or doctor will look at your child's teeth or gums and show you how to properly brush their teeth and what to look for in terms of possible decay. The doctor or dentist will also talk about binki or pacifier use, thumb sucking and transitioning from the bottle to the cup. Most importantly, they will establish a dental home for your child so the dentist office is not a scary place for them. 

[DeltaDentalWa]

Cavities are caused by bacteria. If a baby tooth has a cavity or decay, the bacteria causing that decay can transfer to neighboring healthy permanent teeth. Cavities can also be contagious and are often passed from mother to child like when we taste their food to make sure its not too hot. Sharing forks and spoons, cups and even kissing can transfer cavity causing bacteria to our children. The New York Times even published an article in their health section about it. Now Im not going to stop kissing my child, but I am more mindful about sharing things like cups and toothbrushes. 

Waiting to address your child's oral health can cause a lot more damage than you think.The longer your wait to take charge of your child's oral health, the greater the risk you are taking in terms of their long-term oral and overall health. 

I like to think of dental check-ups like well child visits. Its all about prevention. Going to the dentist by their first birthday ensures that you're taking their oral health just as serious as their basic overall health. 

Edited by DeltaDentalWa - 10/15/12 at 1:11pm

[~Adorkable~]

Originally Posted by DeltaDentalWa 

Cavities are caused by bacteria. If a baby tooth has a cavity or decay, the bacteria causing that decay can transfer to neighboring healthy permanent teeth. 

ok so it might have been better worded, that "bacteria left untreated can affect neighboring teeth", that makes more sense.  other folks would argue that diet and environmental things that weakens tooth structure and or genetic tendency are the big causes of tooth decay. I am not taking for  or against that stance in this conversation, i just put it out there to help you understand a point of view held my some folks.

Quote:

Cavities can also be contagious and are often passed from mother to child like when we taste their food to make sure its not too hot. Sharing forks and spoons, cups and even kissing can transfer cavity causing bacteria to our children. The New York Times even published an article in their health section about it. 

cavities are not "contagious" cavities are a result of something, only that "something" can be spread. an while i may agree that spreading bacteria to a very young child who you may not have started consistent brushing habits with can be a legitimate problem, im not going to stop kissing my babies over it. i do personally get my kids dental care s i have already said and i do brush their teeth daily, so i feel ok with the kissing and eating and such

Quote:

I like to think of dental check-ups like immunizations or well child visits. Its all about prevention. You wouldn't put off whooping cough, measles or mumps or other necessary immunizations  for your child, especially if you knew you were putting them at risk for getting sick. Going to the dentist by their first birthday ensures that you're taking their oral health just as serious as their basic overall health. 

 

you might want to look around Mothering.com as a whole a bit more before making statements like this, since as a whole the folks here tend to actively question and challenge the status quo on everything i just quoted from you! While many do all these things, some do not feel them fully necessary or do them on a thoughtfully reduced or delayed schedule. Others strongly feel that some of the things mentioned are outright dangerous rather than helpful, and probably hold that to be true with some dental prevention as well. **I do not speak for those folks personally at all** I think what you are seeing from other replies,  is them applying that very same logic to dental checkups. I can be pretty confident in saying no one here intends to blow off the risk to their kids teeth. you are right in that toothaches and the like can be horrible distraction to kids trying to learn or eat well.

[DeltaDentalWa]

Thanks for your feedback. Im new to this and just want to let mothers know how important dental decay prevention is for their children. Its such a pushed aside topic and people dont think baby teeth matter because they fall out. 

[~Adorkable~]

agreed. and thank you for taking the feedback in a good way. glad you joined mothering.com, please feel free to look around and see all the great things we have to offer you as well!

i see you have flossers as your picture, you you know of any refillable flossers that are smaller to fit in kids mouths? there was thread a few months ago looking for this and we could only find full size ones or disposables. many women rightful were bothered to think that they would trow out the plastic each time, feeling it too wasteful. 

secondly, my kids teeth dont touch eachother at all, i have looked carefully to see, they let me brush pretty darn good, it is a nightly fun game in our house. (we sing our ABC's and have changed the words of the final verse to suit, it lets them understand how long we do each section.)

so di i ned to floss at this point? it seems like it would not actually do anything? maybe do it to get them used to it is the only thing i can think of.

[DeltaDentalWa]

Thanks- 

You only need to floss once the teeth start to touch. For the flossers, I did find children's sizes. I hate tossing them after one use as well so I rinse them in hot water and recycle after a 3-4 uses depending on what I find between her teeth.