As a parent, you’ll want to do everything possible to give your child the best start in life. One item that parents generally address is how to look after teeth. After all, the baby teeth are simply the trial run, once your child gets their second teeth these have to last for life.
In short, you need to know as much as possible about your children’s teeth in order to ensure they look after them properly. Part of this is ensuring they see a qualified pediatric dentist regularly to ensure their teeth remain healthy.
But, there are 5 other things that every parent should know about children’s teeth.
Teeth Affect Speech
Your teeth are necessary to ensure you can pronounce letters properly. Having healthy teeth in the right position contributes toward healthy speech development.
It’s important to be aware of this relationship. If your child is struggling with specific words or sounds it could be tooth related. It will need to be monitored to ensure the problem doesn’t persist as the adult teeth develop.
Thumb Sucking Can Affect Tooth Alignment
Many babies and young children suck dummies or their own thumbs. This can seem like a harmless way to pacify them. However, thumb sucking places pressure on the young teeth, effectively pulling them forward. This can affect the alignment and change the position of adult teeth.
Unfortunately, this can lead to further problems as they grow and will increase the likelihood of needing a brace.
Brush Teeth Gently
This actually applies to adults as well as children. In the desire to ensure the teeth are clean it’s easy to place too much pressure on the toothbrush. In rare cases, this can damage the enamel on your child’s teeth. But, a bigger issue is damaging the gums around the teeth.
This can cause them to recede and increase the likelihood of gum disease and other issues later in life.
It’s important to address this as children and ensure they brush their teeth gently, with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and circular strokes.
Kids Can Floss
Flossing is an effective way of reducing plaque in your mouth. Plaque buildup has been linked with tooth decay and potentially an increased risk of cardiovascular issues.
In short, your child is never too young to start flossing. The earlier they learn the more likely it is they’ll do it throughout their life.
All Baby Teeth Should Be Gone By Age 12
It’s useful to note that baby teeth will start to fall out when your child is 6 years old and they should all be gone by the time they are 12. If this isn’t the case you’ll want to get a dental checkup, to ensure everything is okay with their oral health.
Of course, your child will already be having regular dental appointments, which will make it easier to get an urgent one when you need one. Don’t forget most dentists get booked up in advance, it’s best to schedule your appointments n advance to keep the schedule regular.