As a kid-friendly dentist in Coral Gables, FL, we treat young children, including preschoolers and elementary school-age children, for their first checkups. We realize that many parents do not believe they should bring their children to the dentist until they are older, and we encourage them to reconsider. Children can develop cavities in their toddler years, and visiting our kid-friendly dentist office is one way to help prevent them.
Kid Friendly Dentist
What You Should Know
Are you aware of how oral health and dental care affect a child’s overall health and well-being? According to the Centers for Disease Control, tooth decay (cavities) is the most common infectious disease among children, which leads to children experiencing toothaches in high numbers, missing days from school, and experiencing overall discomfort.
Tooth decay is not a trivial thing but a condition that can create significant discomfort for your child and even make it difficult for them to eat, speak, and engage in normal daily activities. If you live in the Coral Gables, FL area and think your child will not get a cavity, statistically speaking, it is quite likely they will.
Good oral hygiene habits that include brushing and flossing at home help but are not enough. You need to bring your child to our kid-friendly dentist office twice a year so we can examine and clean their teeth. By doing this, we can remove stubborn plaque and bacteria that cause cavities in the first place.
Resources You Can Use at Home
At Gables Exceptional Dentistry, we see a lot of children under eight years old and understand how challenging it can be to get them excited about brushing their teeth. Kids are busy, and asking them to stop riding bikes, building Legos, or playing games to brush their teeth can lead to conflict fairly quickly.
Our Coral Gables, FL dental team works with young children and is under no illusion that children are interested in their oral health. It is our job to teach them the importance of dental care and show how fun and interesting it can be. Our goal is to get your child to brush and floss their teeth willingly, without being told. With that in mind, we have a few resources you can try at home.
If you live in or around Coral Gables, FL, we invite you to schedule an appointment with our dental office so we can examine your child’s teeth and teach them how to brush properly. Even if your child is already brushing, there is a good chance they are doing it wrong and missing a lot of the plaque buildup on their teeth.
You can use a fun, kid-friendly video tutorial at home to teach them the right way to brush their teeth. There are plenty of videos dedicated to kids’ oral health on YouTube. Playing a video that shows your child how to brush is a good reminder for them, and since they are used to receiving information this way, they are likely to receive and digest it readily.
Once your child is brushing correctly, it is time to turn your attention to how long they are brushing each time. At Gables Exceptional Dentistry, we encourage all of our patients to brush for two minutes twice a day, regardless of how old they are. This, however, can be difficult for young children who find it hard to focus on a task or stay still.
As a kid-friendly dentist, we want them to brush their teeth, but staying still isn’t a requirement. Parents can make brushing teeth more fun for kids with music and dancing. They can also play a two-minute video clip or cartoon while they brush. We work with families throughout the Coral Gables, FL area and find that using media is far more motivating than standing over your child with a stopwatch. The goal is to make dental care a positive experience so your child will continue to brush their teeth as they grow and into adulthood.
Preventative Dental Care for Kids in Coral Gables, FL
As a kid-friendly dentist office in Coral Gables, FL, we are focused on preventative care. It is far better for your child’s oral and overall health to visit us for regular teeth cleanings and exams than to only see us when there’s an obvious problem. We can help your child avoid experiencing any dental discomfort with preventative care, including fluoride treatments and dental sealants.
Regular Fluoride Treatments
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is essential for strong bones and tooth enamel. We get fluoride from certain foods, like oatmeal and raisins, and from the municipal water supply in many areas. To help your child’s teeth stay strong, healthy, and cavity free, at Gables Exceptional Dentistry, we recommend that they receive a fluoride treatment at every checkup until after they graduate from high school. If your family drinks mainly bottled water or you live in an area where the public water supply is not fluoridated, this is particularly important.
Statistically, if your child has a fluoride treatment at our dental office every six months, their risk of getting cavities decreases by 30%. This is significant when you are considering the overall health and well-being of your child.
What Are Dental Sealants?
Many children have deep ridges in their molars and premolars (the teeth in the back). When they bite down and chew food, bacteria, food particles, and plaque can become trapped in those ridges and eventually lead to tooth decay. These teeth are particularly difficult to clean with a toothbrush alone, so even the most fastidious parents may find it challenging to keep cavities at bay.
A dental sealant is a protective layer we place on the back teeth so nothing can become stuck in the ridges. The procedure is painless and fast since all we need to do is brush a material onto the teeth and allow it to harden. At Gables Exceptional Dentistry, we find dental sealants to be extremely effective at preventing our young patients from getting cavities.
At Gables Exceptional Dentistry in Coral Gables, FL, we use all the tools at our disposal to ensure your child is as healthy and as comfortable as possible now and as they grow into adulthood. If you live in the Coral Gables, FL area, we invite you to schedule a dental exam for your child by calling (305) 614-2438.