Your take great measures to ensure that your child develops a healthy smile. You promote great oral hygiene habits at home and limit their consumption of surgery foods to prevent tooth decay. However, you could be missing a critical component to their dental health. If your child is not visiting their dentist in Accra every six months for a cleaning and checkup, their teeth and gums are at risk of damage. Regular appointments are vital to fostering the proper development of their oral health and functions while setting the groundwork for a lifelong healthy smile.
Why Does My Child Need to See a Dentist?
Your child should see their dentist as soon as their first tooth erupts. However, it is estimated that 50% of children did not have an appointment last year. Often, this is due to the belief that they do not need regular dental care because the primary teeth eventually fall out. Not to mention, many tend to think that a visit is not necessary unless a problem develops. However, both are untrue. If they do not visit regularly, they will likely need invasive and costly procedures in the future that could have easily been avoided.
Early dental care is essential to ensuring the develop of healthy oral functions that are needed for eating and speaking. The primary teeth also act as place holders for the adult ones. If the baby teeth develop complications, it could impact the adult teeth.
In addition, regular cleanings and checkups allow us to build a relationship with your child while also teaching them the importance of dental care. This sets the foundation for a lifetime commitment to their oral health while making appointments stress-free.
What Can I Expect During Their Appointment?
For infants and young children, their initial appointment may not seem important as we only check their teeth and may try to clean them. However, this sets the foundation to make them feel at ease so we can progress into more advanced preventive care.
As your child ages, we will perform a cleaning every six months to remove plaque and tartar accumulations. This is especially important for children who tend to have poor oral hygiene habits, which can lead to tooth decay. We will also teach them how to correctly brush and floss to nurture these habits.
In addition to a cleaning, we will take diagnostic images and perform a comprehensive checkup. This allows us to see how their teeth are developing, as well as the adult teeth below the gums surface. By doing so, we can provide quick intervention for any potential dental concerns. This prevents the need for costly and invasive procedures in the future. We may recommend additional treatments, like dental sealants and fluoride treatments, to help protect their teeth from decay.
Where is a Children’s Dentist Near Me?
At Bethel Dental, we treat patients of all ages, even children, because we believe that a healthy smile starts here. With a regular cleaning and checkup, we will help promote the health of their teeth and gums. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation.