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Interesting facts about your child’s dental health.

Our teeth are with us for our entire lives, which makes it imperative that we know as much as possible about how to care for them and maintain their longevity. Every parent must take their children’s dental health seriously or else it could lead to lifelong problems. These dental issues can include costly dentist visits and may even require restorative dentistry because of severely damaged teeth. What we’d like to do today is to share some simple facts about kids’ teeth that will shed some light on the importance of taking care of your children’s dental health along with some tips on how to do so successfully.

The 2-2-2 Method Works Wonders

Talk to a dentist long enough (and we all know you want to!) and he or she will inevitably bring up the 2-2-2 method. This tried-and-true technique improves children’s dental health by giving them a basic regimen to follow, which translates to brushing their teeth two times a day, doing so for two full minutes, and visiting the dentist twice a year for teeth cleaning and check-up.

Cavities on Baby Teeth Definitely Matter

Everyone knows those baby teeth fall out after a few years, which has led many people to believe that if one or two of them develop a cavity, it doesn’t matter. After all, if something’s going to be gone anyway, why does it matter if it gets damaged along the way? Well, the simple reason for this is that if a tooth is damaged by a cavity, it can negatively impact the way that the permanent tooth comes in.

Dental Health Improves Self-Esteem

Most people think of children’s dental health strictly as the physical condition of their pearly whites. What you may not realize is that there’s also a psychological effect when a child’s teeth are in good shape. Children who exercise proper dental care appear to have better self-esteem and confidence in the future Even if it isn’t something they talk about freely, they are aware of classmates at their school who don’t take good care of their teeth and how those children are viewed.

Dentist Visits Should Start at an Early Age

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says that a child’s first visit to the dentist should occur either by the age of one-year-old or six months after his or her first tooth appears. This, along with establishing regular check-ups, will accomplish two things. First, it will help to ensure proper care of your children’s teeth. Second, it will get them accustomed to seeing the dentist so they are less likely to be stressed or scared later on.

Juice Tricks You Into Thinking It’s Healthy

Everyone knows that soda isn’t good for you, which is why getting juice for kids seems like such a great alternative for parents. Manufacturers even put juice in brightly colored boxes to make them more attractive. Unfortunately, more often than not, the juice that you think is so healthy will actually contain the same amount of sugar as soda, and sometimes even more. As a steadfast rule, you must check every label for nutritional information.

Poor Dental Health Hurts Academic Performance

If you want your child to have a good school year and keep their grades in good standing, you definitely want to consider the impact that children’s dental health will have on their attendance and, therefore, their performance. If your child suffers from dental issues, especially dental disease, the frequency of missing school can become a problem. In fact, the American Dental Association calculates that more than 50 million school hours are lost due to students’ dental-related illnesses each year.

Harborview Dental Health Will Improve Your Children’s Dental Health

Maintaining proper dental health is important for both adults and children. Offering gentle dental in Palm Harbor is what Harborview Dental does best. To learn how we can help improve your children’s dental health or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (727) 785-4716 and schedule an appointment with our dentist in Palm Harbor.