When do you bring your baby in for their first dental visit? What should you expect?
Willow Dental Care offers parents a positive experience for your child’s first dental visit: A First Free Visit for every child between 1 year and 18 months.
Every child should have the opportunity to visit the dentist for their first check up by 18 months. At this time children have probably seen their parents in the dental chair and are ready to experience it for themselves.
The first visit is very important to see if their teeth are coming in correctly. Answer questions such as: Has any dental decay started and are there practices that might be slightly adjusted to help your child’s dental health (milk or juice at night, soothers?) Are there tips from the dental assistant to help brush the baby’s teeth? When do you introduce flossing? What about electric toothbrushes at this age?
What you can expect your child to experience (based on their level of cooperation):
A walk through the clinic to meet everyone and the location of the treasure box
A ride in the dental chair with or without the parent
Meet and experience Mr. Thirsty (the saliva sucker)
Meet and experience the Whistle Brush, the wind machine and the water squirter
Meet the dental team (assistant, doctor, receptionist)
Have their teeth counted by the dentist while he is doing a visual exam.
Learn that going to the dentist is nothing to fear and maybe even fun
Leave feeling very important and grown up for being such a great patient.
Earn their very own brand new toothbrush and a toy!
Why would you want to take advantage of this opportunity? We find that a child empowered to learn about their own dental health will be proud of it. They are much more likely to take an active part in caring for their oral health as they grow up.
Babies! Oh those tiny little bundles of joy are such a promise of joy and delight. But as you’ve probably read, being pregnant, although truly a miracle, can be rather tough on your body. Toothbrush Confidential has done the digging and below we’ve provided you a step by step oral health plan that will take you throughout your pregnancy.
It’s Baby Making Time! Off to… the dentist?
You’ve decided now is the time to start your family. Things are working themselves out and you know now is the time. Before you get pregnant, is the perfect time to see your dentist for a good cleaning and to check for any decay. Have x-rays taken now to check between teeth and under old fillings. Hormonal changes while pregnant can increase the risk of gum disease and there is correlation between gum disease and low birth weight.
If you have cosmetic dental work that you would like to have, prior to pregnancy is a good idea or set that as a goal for your post delivery treat to yourself. There is nothing like a great smile makeover to prevent postpartum blues. But plan it out now. Work with your dentist to create a plan of action based on what you want. Insurance approvals for major work is generally valid for one year so the dental team can pre-authorize all the treatment and be ready for you when the baby is born.
Congratulations you’re Pregnant!
Some dental procedures should be avoided during the first trimester. Talk to your dentist about your pregnancy because at this time certain dental work may affect the baby’s development. Do not skip your check up however, hormones can play havoc with gums. Look for increase in bleeding gums when pregnant. Extra bacteria may affect the health of your baby. This is a good reason to increase the frequency of your visits with the hygienist! Flossing for two!
Share all your medicines, prenatal vitamins and dosages with your dental team. Your dentist may need to revise your oral health plan based on your condition. For instance, tetracycline, if taken while pregnant may affect the development of your child’s teeth.
Avoiding X-rays while pregnant is pretty much common sense. If you do have a dental emergency and must have an x-ray, your dentist will take the utmost precaution with lead aprons. If absolutely necessary, the third trimester is the least dangerous time.
It’s not all beautiful – the Ins and Outs of Morning Sickness
Many woman experience morning sickness while pregnant. To combat it we suggest ginger tea to settle your stomach or aroma therapy of peppermint essential oil. Also switching to a mild toothpaste may help avoid nausea. If you do vomit, make certain to rinse your mouth thoroughly with water and baking soda. Unfortunately the acid in vomit can weaken the enamel. Baking soda will neutralize the acid.
Oral Health = Overall Health
As you’ve probably heard over and over again, whatever you eat, your baby eats, so choose healthy options. Since your child’s teeth are developing around the third month of your pregnancy, eating calcium rich foods are an excellent idea. Low fat yogurt and cheeses are an excellent source of calcium. For vegetarians, add calcium to your diet through green veggies and nuts. You can get your entire days’ worth of calcium from just a few servings of certain high-calcium greens and nuts such as: soybean (edamame), okra, spinach, almonds, kelp, broccoli, sesame seeds, brazil nuts, celery.
If your sweet cravings are powerful, we suggest brushing your teeth immediately after eating sweets? As mentioned above, gum disease may be accelerated during pregnancy.
Congratulations You’re a Mommy!
Once you have given birth and regained your strength, book an appointment for a checkup. Your dentist will want to review your mouth to make certain those pregnancy hormones haven’t created damage on your oral heath. Oh and bring baby photos, or even bring the baby in to be admired. We always enjoy babies in the office.
Children often find comfort in thumb sucking. It’s adorable to witness and ultra sound photos have been taken of babies thumb sucking in the womb. Can something that brings so much relief and is so cute, actually be a problem?
Yes, if it goes on too long. The level of intensity and duration of your child’s sucking, can create damage to their facial growth ie the way their face gets shaped.
Dental Impact Thumb sucking usually results in flaring of upper front teeth and restricts proper growth of the lower jaw. These growth changes create an “Open Bite”. This is when the top teeth do not cover the bottom teeth when the mouth is closed. When swallowing, as the teeth cannot close together, a tongue thrust habit is created. This constant pushing of the tongue on the front teeth makes the open bite even worse. Occasionally this tongue thrust habit creates speech problem like lisping or problems like malformed palate leading to breathing problems/apnea. These are just a few of the dental impact starting from a simple thumb sucking habit.
There are dental appliances that can be used to break the habit. A consultation with the dentist when the child is 2 or 3 years old would allow your dentist to monitor the existing dentition and to assess any possible problems.
To help you encourage your child to give up the thumb Toothbrush Confidential has gathered some excellent tactics and advice. The success of these techniques requires a desire and cooperation from your child.
Real World Results Pushing your child to quit something they find pleasurable usually ensures a child clings to the activity. You can wait until your child is in school and is faced with the judgment of other children. Peer teasing may create the fastest behavioral change but the dental damage might already be done.
Carrot Over Stick Make the behavioral change a game. Reward-based system games got you to the gym so why wouldn’t it work with kids? Stickers on a calendar works well. For each day your child doesn’t suck their thumb they receive a special sticker to commemorate their achievement. At the end of a preset timeline, daily then weekly then monthly, an appropriate prize is delivered.
Make a Job of It This is a lovely sneaky way to turn something that offers relief into a chore. Explain to your child that by only sucking their thumb they aren’t being fair to their other fingers. All fingers require the same amount of sucking. It’s only fair. Your child may grown so tired of all this “work” they might just let the entire thing go. If you don’t suck a thumb, then none of your fingers need to be sucked.
Privatize Thumb sucking Teaching your child that thumb sucking is something not to be done in public may force your child to find other ways to soothe themselves. It might also turn thumb sucking into a negative habit.
Reminder Fluid This tactic has been seen as cruel, but some have found success with it. Dip your child’s thumb into something that tastes awful but is harmless, like vinegar. When the child returns to thumb sucking, it will not be a soothing experience and they’ll find another way to sooth themselves. Please do not use this method as punishment. A simpler version is to keep a glove or mitten on the child’s hand so thumb sucking isn’t an option.
Someday My Prince Will Come Wait. Simply wait for your child to grow out of this habit. This may create some dental issues, or without any pressure your child might give it up on their own earlier than you think. Either way peer pressure will usually force a child to quit by the age of six.
However you decide to deal with thumb sucking, we would love to hear about your experiences. Tell us in the comments below!
Summer is a great time for both school age and post secondary kids to see the dentist.
If you have school age kids, booking them a summer time dental appointment will save you the headache of missing school. A dental visit could possibly be partnered up with another fun adventure. Late teens and early twenties is the prime time for wisdom teeth to erupt and cause problems. So check your plan and get things taken care of while they are covered!
Are your kids still covered by your dental insurance? If your kids have just graduated from high school you’ll want to check your insurance coverage. Every policy is different. For instance if you have an 18-year-old who has just graduated from high school, they can still be covered under your dental plan. It is all based on what the Employer negotiates. Some plans cover your children until 21. Some plans cover until your children are 25 years old, if they go to post secondary education as long as they prove full-time registration. You will want to look into the details of your dental insurance.
It’s also a great reminder during the lazy hazy days of summer that dental health is important! Ice cream and candy floss makes for memorable days. Just put brushing and flossing into the program more frequently. Since sugar bugs can double in 24 hours, even a quick teeth brushing during the day helps to disrupt that multiplication.
My most memorable Halloween growing up was the year my Mom decided to let us go bananas and eat as much candy as we wanted on the night of Halloween. I don’t actually remember eating lots of candy or anything about my candy in particular. What I do remember is seeing my little sister in my parents’ bed after throwing up her candy packed stomach contents and my Mom saying to her, “You don’t feel so good do you? You probably won’t want any candy tomorrow will you?” And my sister responding with a smile and a twinkle in her eye, “Well maybe just one piece.”
In case you can’t stomach the thought of candy laden throw up or having the indulge-a-thon go on forever here are a few strategies to manage your kid’s loot and hopefully their tooth decay:
The Candy Fairy. Whether you call it The Candy Fairy, The Candy Witch, The Candy Goblin, The Switch Witch, The Halloween Fairy, or The Halloween Goblin the story is the same. Once the child has selected their favourite pieces of candy from their loot, the rest is left out over night for The Candy Fairy to pick up and leave a toy or book for the child to find in the morning. The beauty of The Candy Fairy is that she is really good friends with the Tooth Fairy and can come at any time of year to help your kids take care of their teeth. After Christmas, Easter or any candy laden time of year, just leave the candy out in that specially selected spot (like the hearth where we leave cookies for Santa) and voila in the morning there’s a present from The Candy Fairy!
The Candy Exchange. This strategy is a direct exchange candy for cold hard cash. The child presents the parent with the candy they are ready to exchange for cash. The candy can be exchanged piece (eg: $.10 for small & $.25 for large) or by weight (eg: $5/kg). It’s up to you.
Life is Sweet Enough Reward In this one the child is rewarded for consuming the least amount of candy. No matter how much candy the child collects, payment is based on how much candy the child keeps. The candy/money exchange must be done as soon as the candy is sorted. For example:
Keep 10 pieces the child gets $20.00
Keep 15 pieces the child receives $10.00
Keep 20 pieces the child receives $5.00
Keep +20 pieces the child gets $0.00
Halloween is the Season of Sharing. The neighbours shared their candy with you, it’s your turn to share your candy with kids less fortunate. Let them choose a selection of their favourites then help them pack up the rest and donate it to your local food bank or see if your church or community centre is holding a candy drive.
Of course you could let your child gorge like my Mom did that one time and see if they end up throwing up like my sister or horde their candy until it was stale and forgotten like me. If you have other strategies we’d love to hear them! Either leave a comment on the end of this blog post or on our facebook page.
Also don’t forget to remind your kids Hallowe’en night they’ll be brushing and flossing before bed!
Caring for the dental health of any child can be quite the challenge. When you add in the specific parameters of a child with Autism, a parent can be at a loss for what to do. Often dentists will suggest general anesthesia, which can be hard on the child and the recovery time can be filled with nausea and severe grogginess. On top of that, getting dental work done with General Anesthesia at a hospital used to be readily available, today the wait to just be interviewed to see if the child qualifies can take several months. Then the child is in a wait list for several more months for available time.
There is another option. Just like a child with dental fear, a child experiencing life within the Autism Spectrum is often a perfect candidate for Sedation. There is sedation protocol for an autism patient, so parents will want to make certain their dentist is both DOCS Certified (see Afraid of the Dentist? Keep Calm and Get Educated for an explanation of DOCS) and is up to date with the specific requirements of an autism patient and their medical background.
The first appointment will be considered the Introduction Appointment where the dentist and staff will establish a relationship with the child and monitor the behaviour. Once a relationship has been established, if appropriate, a visual exam will be performed and the child’s teeth will be polished and x-rays taken.
Based on the medical background and the child’s responsive behaviour, an appointment can be made for all the dental work. The kind of sedation is determined by the dentist. In our offices we have treated autistic children with Conscious Sedation very successfully. However there are several cases when the medical conditions and behavior was too complex and we treated the child through General Anesthesia. Our dentists performed the work in a private office working with an anesthesiologist.
To discuss the needs of your child please contact us. If you have a child experiencing autism please share your thoughts in the comments below.
You’re a good parent. You don’t want to find out your toddler has cavities! So how do you get a squirmy toddler to let you brush their teeth each night? The truth of the matter is that kids ages 1-3 do not have the enzymes in their mouths to create cavities. BUT they will create cavities if plaque is left on teeth as they get older.
Getting your toddler in the habit of brushing every night is a great idea. So here are a few tips to help you encourage good habits:
A soft kids toothbrush with their favourite character on it will do wonders. Let them pick their own toothbrush.
An electric kid’s toothbrush will add a lovely bit of agitation and efficiency if your kid just holds the toothbrush to their teeth.
Use kid’s toothpaste. It’s designed for their little bodies and will taste great. A tiny bit, the size of a small pea is perfect.
If your child swallows the toothpaste that is fine. Toddlers who swallow trace amounts of fluoride often have stronger adult teeth.
If you are trying to brush toddler’s teeth, name them. They will keep their mouths open longer.
Try to schedule your dental visit when your toddler is around 3 years old. They often like to copy adults and this might just foster a healthy interest in their own dental care.
There is always the option of brushing your child’s teeth for them. They always want to do their own brushing which is basically chewing on the toothbrush. Compliment them on their effort of brushing their teeth and then tell them you want to check out their friends inside their mouth. Calmly have the child lie on their back in your lap or even on the bathroom counter if there is room. With their mouth open calmly and gently brush each area while naming their favorite friend. Playing with your child and making it a game keeps brushing a positive experience. Don’t forget they don’t have the enzymes that create cavities at this age so start great habits now.
