Children's Dentistry in Whitby, ON
Children's Dentistry: Caring For Young Smiles
Don’t make the mistake of believing your child’s baby teeth don’t matter. Caring for your child’s smile in their younger years helps ensure their adult teeth come in strong and healthy. Baby teeth are also important for making sure your child can eat, speak, and smile properly. Encouraging your child to practice oral hygiene diligently and bringing them to the dentist for regular exams and cleanings helps instill good oral health habits while ensuring that their oral health stays optimal into their adult years.
However, children are unique dental patients with unique needs that have to be met before their smiles can be properly cared for. To meet these unique oral health needs, the Whitby dentists at Dentistry on Dundas practice children’s dentistry. Keep reading to learn more.
What is Children’s Dentistry?
Children’s dentistry or pediatric dentistry, focuses on meeting the unique needs of the youngest dental patients. From the age your child develops their first tooth (around age one) into their teens, our dentists provide the extra compassionate care and comfortable experience a child needs.
Just like with our adult patients, our dentists will help improve and protect your child’s oral health, while paying extra attention to the many changes a child’s smile goes through as they age. They’ll also help your child learn about their smile and how to care for it, instilling good oral hygiene habits that will help them into their adult years.
Benefits of Children’s Dentistry
Comfort
Children are often scared of strangers and more prone to dental fear. Additionally, bad dental visits might be truly traumatic for them, making them much less willing and much less likely to visit the dentist as they age. Our Whitby dentists will get to know your child, taking the steps necessary to help them feel calm and comfortable every time they walk through our doors.
Specialized Attention
As your child grows and their smile develops, they’ll require specialized attention from dental experts who can track the many changes in their teeth. Our Whitby dentists will keep meticulous details on their oral health and be on the lookout for signs of common childhood dental issues such as cavities, malocclusion, thumb-sucking, and premature tooth loss.
Education
Children need patient instruction on how to care for their smile, especially during the crucial time while their teeth develop. Our Whitby dentists will provide easy-to-understand education and instruction for your child to follow, so they can learn proper oral hygiene lessons that will last a lifetime.
Additionally, we’ll teach you how to care for your child’s smile or help your child care for their smile until they can do it on their own. Your child will likely need help caring for their teeth until they’re around five to eight years old. We’ll teach you fun methods for helping your child memorize oral hygiene techniques, including making a game out of it and showing them how to brush and floss properly and for how long to do it.
Your Child’s First Visit
If you’re a parent or guardian who’s preparing to bring your child to their first dental visit, you’re likely wondering how to help them get them ready. Our Whitby dentists recommend the following tips to help prepare your child for their first visit to Dentistry on Dundas:
- Do have a tour of our Whitby office by coming in for a casual, friendly, get acquainted visit and checkup.
- Do familiarize your child with our dental office. Consider taking them along when you or one of their siblings has a dental appointment.
- Do watch and read fun, educational videos and children’s books with your child about dentistry.
- Do explain to your child in calm terms that dentists are there to help. Be open to answering questions and feel free to call Dentistry on Dundas by dialing (905) 666-1555 if they have any questions you don’t know the answer to.
- Don’t wait for a dental emergency for the first visit. If your child’s first visit is associated with a dental emergency, they’ll likely associate the dentist’s office with pain and fear and be less willing and less likely to visit the dentist in the future.
- Don’t over prepare your children for dental visits. This will likely make your child anxious.
- Don’t use phrases like “It won’t hurt much” or “It won’t be too bad.” Children are very observant and such phrases will likely only create anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Whitby dentists at Dentistry on Dundas recommend your child start seeing us as soon as their first tooth erupts, usually around one year old. However, their first visit could be as early as you’d like.
After that, they should continue to visit at least once every six months for regular cleanings and exams. Depending on their oral health, our children’s dentists may recommend that your child see us more frequently.
- Limit the frequency of meals and snacks
- Encourage brushing, flossing, and rinsing after meals
- Watch what your child drinks
- Avoid giving your child sticky foods
- Make treats part of meals
- Choose nutritious snacks for your child
- Use a specially made brush with very soft bristles and a small head that has been moistened with water
- Use a sliver of fluoride toothpaste no bigger than a rice grain
- Brush gently in slow circles
- Brush your infant’s teeth once a day, preferably before bedtime
- Clean your infant’s gums with a terry cloth finger cot (finger guard) or a soft, clean, moist gauze wrapped around your index finger
- Gently rub the cloth or gauze along your infant’s gums
Most children outgrow thumb sucking around four years old. However, if your child is still sucking their thumb at age four or older, or their thumb sucking is aggressive, let us know. Our Whitby dentists will diagnose the issue and prescribe solutions and advice on how to help your child break their habit.
Improve & Protect Your Child’s Oral Health With Children’s Dentistry
At Dentistry on Dundas, we know you want the best for your child, which is why we promise to deliver compassionate, quality dental care for them. Our Whitby dentists and staff will help your child improve and protect their oral health for years to come. Dentistry on Dundas offers children’s dentistry services to patients from our home location in Whitby, and surrounding areas such as Oshawa, Ajax, and Courtice, ON.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of children’s dentistry, or you’re ready to schedule an appointment for your child, call our Whitby office by dialing (905) 666-1555. You can also fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page, and one of our friendly team members will get back to you shortly. Dentistry on Dundas is here and ready to help your child smile their best and brightest.
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