Finding professional dentistry for children can be a difficult task. After all, teaching your child to take care of his or her teeth, and making regular dental visits starting by your child’s first birthday, can help them establish positive habits that will last an entire lifetime.

At Buckhead Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, we love working with children of all ages. We don’t want your child to develop a fear or aversion to going to the dentist. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping make your children’s dentist visits easy, effective, and even fun.

The Importance of Atlanta Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics

Although your child’s initial set of baby teeth will eventually fall out, it’s important to take good care of them. Teeth do more than give your child a beautiful smile. They also help your child with clear speech and biting and chewing food.

Children who develop tooth decay (cavities) in their baby teeth may be more likely to develop cavities as a teen and even an adult. Taking care of their teeth by brushing and flossing, limiting sugary foods and beverages, and getting regular preventive dental care from a children’s dentist, can help minimize their risk of needing fillings and other dental work as a child, and later in life.

In order to provide you with the highest quality service, we follow the guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. For cases that we feel are complex and require special care, we refer to board-certified pediatric dentists to make sure that your child receives the level of care needed to address these cases.

Good Habits Start at Home

Even before your baby’s first teeth come in, you can help keep his or her gums clean and bacteria-free by using a damp washcloth, a special infant gum massager, or clean, damp gauze. When teeth appear, use a special infant-sized toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste. As your children grow, keep up the habit, of adding flossing to the routine when your child’s teeth begin touching. You’ll need to help your children brush and floss to make sure they don’t swallow the toothpaste and to ensure they are brushing appropriately.

Many parents find that creating a tooth-brushing ritual at home is a fun way to help kids take care of their teeth without making it a chore. Whether that’s a chart with stickers, a token or reward for brushing and flossing, a tooth-brushing song, or simply brushing your teeth together twice a day. When your children see that you’re engaged, they will want to follow suit.

It’s also important to make dentistry for children a priority with regular visits to the dentist starting right around your child’s first birthday. Doing so can help identify and head off any potential problems early on. In addition to dental cleanings and exams, your children’s dentist may apply fluoride treatments to help harden the enamel of the teeth, protecting them from cavities.

Dentistry for Children: Our Best Tips

Help keep your child’s teeth healthy by using the 2-2-2 rule: visit your dentist two times a year, and brush and floss two times a day for two full minutes!

When brushing, explain to your child, in age-appropriate language, how to brush and floss. Inform them about how those actions help keep teeth clean and healthy. Let them watch you when you brush and floss your own teeth. Help them brush and floss their own teeth each morning and before bed. Keep a regular routine so they know it’s expected.

A healthy diet is essential to healthy teeth. It’s not just about what you eat, but also how much of it and when. It’s okay to enjoy sugary treats. Just keep them in moderation, and be sure to brush and floss them within 30 minutes.

Fluoride helps cure early-stage cavities and prevent new ones from forming by blocking bacteria that cause them. Fluoride treatments can reduce cavities by up to 50-70%. We can provide fluoride treatments in our office during your regularly scheduled visit, and you can keep up the habit at home with mouthwash containing fluoride.

We practice dental sealants for both primary and adult dentition to minimize the chance of decay forming on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. Typically, the deep grooves of primary or adult teeth fall victim to food impaction and the eventual development of cavities. Remember that 80-90% of decay on the back teeth happens on the chewing surface.

Dentistry for children needs to be routine and visits should occur every 6 months. The usage of diagnostic tools like X-rays helps in the detection of early decay, developmental issues, and disease diagnosis.

For children who play sports having a mouth guard is critical to preventing dental injuries.

Choose Buckhead Cosmetic and Family Dentistry

Help your children develop life-long positive habits for their oral hygiene, both at home and through regular visits to a children’s dentist. The experienced pediatric dental professionals at Buckhead Cosmetic and Family Dentistry are committed to providing positive experiences for even the smallest of patients.

CONTACT OUR BUCKHEAD COSMETIC AND FAMILY DENTISTRY IN ATLANTA

To learn more and to schedule dentistry for children, contact us online today, or call us at 404-400-0400.