Visiting the dentist regularly will not only help keep your teeth and mouth healthy, but will also help keep the rest of your body healthy. Dental care is important because it:

• Helps prevent tooth decay.
• Protects against periodontal (gum) disease, which can lead to tooth and bone loss
• Prevents bad breath—brushing, flossing and seeing the dentist regularly will help reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth that causes bad breath.
• Gives you a more attractive smile and increases your self-confidence.
• Helps keep teeth looking bright by preventing them from becoming stained by food, drinks and tobacco.
• Strengthens your teeth.

While your teeth may feel fine, it’s still important to see the dentist regularly because problems can exist without your knowledge. Your smile’s appearance is important and your dentist can help keep your smile healthy and looking beautiful. Children, teens and adults should all see the dentist for a regular check-up at least once every six months. Patients who are at a greater risk for oral cancer or gum disease may be required to see the dentist more than just twice a year. 

Recent studies have shown that by the age of three, a child is already at risk of having cavities which can be caused by something as innocent as fruit leather snacks or putting a baby to sleep with a bottle of juice or milk.  Along with taking our first look at your child’s oral condition, this first appointment is also largely focused on the parents and helping them to establish a good oral hygiene program and diet for the child. 

It is a little known fact that a child’s baby teeth (or primary teeth) are vital to the long-term health of their permanent adult teeth.  The early loss of baby teeth can cause serious complications, including poorly spaced teeth and crooked adult teeth.  As a result, it is just as important to care for a child’s baby teeth as it is to care for the adult teeth that follow.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that children first see a dentist as early as six months of age and no later than one year of age. During this time, your child’s baby teeth will be coming in and your dentist can examine the health of your child’s first few teeth. After the first visit, be sure to schedule regular check-ups every six months.

Patients who experience the most benefit from having their teeth whitened:

• Are in good dental health.
• Maintain good dental health (i.e. brush three times a day, floss, receive regular dental check-ups every six months, etc.).
• May suffer from slightly discolored or yellow teeth.
• Wish to improve the look of their smile for aesthetic purposes.
• Are in good physical health.

Teeth whitening is a safe and effective procedure and does not typically include any negative side effects. Minor side effects may consist of:

• Increased tooth sensitivity to hot or cold drinks or food.
• White spots on the surface of the teeth (a potential side effect of at-home whitening systems).
• Nighttime whitening trays may cause additional gum sensitivity or irritation.

• ALWAYS remember to brush your teeth at least two times a day, and floss at least once!
• Make sure to use toothpaste that contains fluoride and ask your dentist if you need a fluoride rinse. This will help prevent cavities.
• Avoid foods with a lot of sugar (sugar increases the amount of bacteria that grows in your mouth causing more plaque and possibly cavities) and avoid tobacco (this can stain your teeth, cause gum disease and eventually lead to oral cancer).
• Don’t be afraid to brush your tongue! By brushing your tongue, you will remove food particles and reduce the amount of plaque-causing bacteria. Tongue brushing also helps keep your breath fresh.
• Be sure to schedule your routine checkup. It is recommended that you visit the dentist every six months.

The first step is to contact the dental office to have the area examined. If your child has never been to the dentist before, it is often best to limit the appointment to just an examination and x-ray in order to build trust with the child. Since children tend to have short attention spans and difficulty sitting still for long periods of time, bringing your child back for a second appointment for treatment usually works well. Even though this results in two appointments, your child will have a more positive view of the dental office, resulting in much happier dental appointments for the following years.

As parents, you are welcome to be a part of your child’s dental experience. We invite parents into the operatory to participate in the examination and explanation portions of the appointment. When your child arrives for a restorative or extraction appointment, we have found over the years that children will place complete trust in the dentist when their parent stays in the waiting room.  When a parent is present in the operatory during the filling or extraction, children tend to trust only the parent and not the dentist.  This usually results in children wanting to sit up and clinging to a parent during the procedure. It often prevents the dental procedure from being completed and ends up with a child having more fears of dental appointments.

We appreciate that you place your children into our care. As most of us who work here are also parents, we want to ensure that your children have a positive experience in our office. Most children have fun during their dental care appointments and look forward to visiting South Ancaster Family Dental.