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Baby Oral Care: Why It's So Important for Parents

November 8, 2022

Oral care is enormously important for people of all ages, and this reality begins earlier in life than some might think. Dental care for babies is absolutely vital, and often begins even before kids begin developing actual teeth around six months into their lives. 

At Hillfield Pediatric & Family Dentistry, we're happy to offer our pediatric dental services to a wide variety of age ranges, including babies and toddlers. In this two-part blog series, we'll start out by going over why it's so important to attend to your child's oral care from early in their life, then continue in part two by discussing some of the most important "firsts" in your child's dental life.

Avoiding Damage or Issues With New Teeth

Firstly, one of the most important advantages of beginning your child's oral care early on is that you can help to ensure that no damage or issues occur with the child's newly forming teeth. This is especially true for teething babies, who are likely to put everything and anything in their mouths as they explore their world. By ensuring your baby begins seeing a pediatric dentist early, you can protect them from any potential harm caused by everything from their own behaviors to things like early tooth eruption that sometimes take place.

For instance, if your child's teeth are erupting too early and/or in the wrong position, it can result in dental trauma that causes pain and discomfort. Forcing a tooth that has erupted out of its normal proportions can cause problems including malocclusions that affect how their jaw will grow as they age, which can lead to other orthodontic problems. But if you've been visiting the pediatric dentist since an early age, you can avoid this issue entirely by ensuring that your child's teeth are erupting at an appropriate time and in their correct positions.

Creating Good Habits

Another advantage of beginning your child's oral care at a young age is that it helps to create habits that they will carry with them as they age. This can include both good and bad habits, so it's important to work with a pediatric dentist who understands how best to set your child up for success in both the present and future.

One positive habit that you can help to create for your child is forming a consistent routine of going to the dentist. This is important because many adults have well-established habits (both good and bad) surrounding oral care, but children may not be as set in their ways. By helping them form a good habit early on, they'll learn how to take care of their mouth for years into the future.

Prevention of Gum Disease

Gum disease risks can begin very early in life, and one way to help lower your child's risk from the beginning is by ensuring that you begin their oral care early on. Gum disease prevention can occur at several stages in your child's life, including when they're young enough for dental sealants to be applied. This is another reason to be thinking about starting this care very early.

In part two of our series, we'll go over some of the "firsts" you can expect when getting started with your child's oral care. For more on this, or to learn about any of our pediatric or other family dental services, speak to the staff at Hillfield Pediatric & Family Dentistry today.

Hillfield Pediatric & Family Dentistry knows the importance of having healthy and beautiful teeth, which is why we provide exceptional dental care that you can rely on
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