Helping your child visit the dentist in Walkerston
At Walkerston Dental, we want to support you while you look after your child’s oral health. It can be tricky to get your family to the dentist but, the earlier you start, the better. We recommend bringing children in to see the dentist in Walkerston as soon as their teeth start to appear. Not only does this help us to monitor the development of their teeth, it also gets them used to visiting the dentist. The latter lays the foundation for excellent, lifelong dental hygiene habits.
What can you do at home to improve your child’s oral health?
While we can keep an eye on your child’s teeth when they visit the dentist in Walkerston, much of their oral care takes place at home. You can make it easier for them with some of the following methods:
Get a novelty toothbrush
You can get brushes that have their favourite cartoon characters on or ones that play music or have flashing lights. These often play or flash for around two minutes to make it easy for your child to tell when they have brushed their teeth for long enough.
Brush your teeth with them
Children often learn best through observation and imitation. You can show them good brushing habits by letting them watch you go through a good brushing routine slowly and methodically. Don’t brush your teeth too hard if you intend to eat and clean again later as overbrushing can be detrimental to your teeth.
When teeth are developing, the main priority is preventing tooth decay. At Walkerston Dental, we have a couple of options for help with this on top of all the usual work we do during a check-up. These are:
Fissure sealants
This is where a thin layer of resin is applied to the back teeth to shore them up against damage. These are the teeth that experience the most pressure and they are often hard to get thoroughly clean. Fissure sealant helps to prevent cavities and the need for fillings.
Fluoride treatment
A coating of fluoride on your child’s teeth has been shown to reduce the prevalence of tooth decay. Applying fluoride is simple and does not cause your child any discomfort.
