Helping To Protect Young Teeth

Guidance from a Burton family dentist to help keep your child’s teeth strong and healthy.

How many of you reading this blog have thought at some point in your life “I wish I’d looked after my teeth more when I was younger”? Probably a fair few I suspect. Whilst we can’t turn back time, Mike Allen’s Dental Practice does offer many ways to restore your teeth, both in functionality and appearance with procedures such as veneers, dental implants and crowns.

Armed with the information that we now have though, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make sure that our children grow up with strong and healthy teeth; and, both as parents and as a dentist, we can help them to achieve this.

Setting a good example

Anyone with a young child will know that it is difficult to persuade them to do something if you don’t follow the same rules yourself. If you regularly skip brushing your teeth, there is every likelihood that they will think it unimportant too. The same applies if you eat a lot of sweets and chocolates; the chances are that so will your child, with all the negative consequences that may bring. This may be a good opportunity for you to look at improving both your general and oral health by cutting down on sugar and encouraging your child too as well. You should also supervise your child whilst they clean their teeth, making sure that they do so correctly. Our dental hygienist is always happy to advise the best way to do this.

Professional care

In addition to looking after your child’s teeth at home, you should also ensure that they are seen at regular intervals by our Burton family dentist, and also the hygienist. Although this may appear to be a lot of visits; barring actual treatment appointments (which will hopefully be minimal with the correct care), it is in fact just four visits a year. Surely this is worthwhile to enable your children to grow up with healthy teeth? We may also be able to combine some of the visits for you.

It is not only tooth decay caused by high sugar consumption which can cause problems with children’s teeth. It may come as a surprise to know that children can suffer from gum disease as well as adults. Because it is highly unlikely that you will be able to persuade a young child to use dental floss correctly, something some adults find tricky, there is a heightened risk of bacterial deposits building up on the teeth and gum line. By visiting our hygienist, this can easily be removed using a non invasive procedure known as a ‘scale and polish’. Children are rarely troubled by this procedure and it is also an excellent opportunity to learn new and improved ways of looking after teeth, both young and old.

Whether you are nine or ninety, Mike Allen’s Dental Practice; one of the longest standing in Burton, is able to provide top quality family dental care for you. Simply call us on 01283 845345 to arrange an appointment to see us.