Taking your child to the dentist for the first time should happen at an early age, maybe earlier that you think. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists (AAPD) recommends that a child go to the dentist by age 1 or within six months after the first tooth erupts. A Study by Delta Dental Plans Association found that most American children don’t see their family dentist until they’re well over 2 years old. The study also discovered that children’s first visit to a family dentist is historically around 2.6 years of age and that 34% of the sampled children under the age of 11 that had never been to the dentist!

Why are baby teeth so important?

According to AAPD, there are several reasons why we should take care of those baby teeth. They help children chew properly to maintain good nutrition, are involved in speech development, save space for permanent teeth and promote a healthy smile that helps children feel good about the way they look.

So what can we do to help prepare our little ones for their first appointment?

You can take them with you to your appointment. Read some books about the dentist office and oral health. Talk about what will happen so there are no surprises. Also, you could let them bring their favorite toy for comfort.

Creating good dental habits, such as brushing, flossing and going to the dentist, can help your child be healthier and happier.

Resources:

Dental Heroes: Delayed First Visit to Dentist Can Affect Children’s Lifelong Oral Health

Cullen’s ABCs gives us a lighthearted discussion on brushing your teeth just for children.  This video is both fun and informative.  Sharing information with children will reduce their anxiety and increase their compliance when caring for their teeth as well as when visiting their dentist

Children;  brush your teeth like this: Brushing Teeth For Children or Kids

Thank you Dr. Keller for these practical brushing instructions

Motivating kids to care for their teeth is can be challenging.   We frequently receive notes from customers who have realized that the motivation is just as important, if not more so, than teaching proper mechanical skills.  Here are five practical tips to help you engage your young audience and make oral health interesting.

1. Lead by example.  Intuitively we all know that children do as we do more often than simply as we say but we sometimes forget to apply this principal to daily fundamentals like good oral health habits.  Show your kids consistency in your own habits and they will follow suit.  Let them see that you are proud of your smile and take pride in staying healthy and they’ll do the same. 
2. Let them choose their own tools. There are many toothbrushes, floss designs, mouthwashes, etc made specifically for kids.  Get your child involved in the process by letting them choose the products that interest them the most.   
3. Make it fun. Make up a song, a game, use props, or make up an imaginary friend to go along with their brushing and flossing routine. It sounds trite but infusing energy and laughter into the process will help build healthy habits that are easier for children to sustain.  Consider shortening the required length of time that your children spend on oral health as they are learning because we know that their ability to focus for longer periods of time will increase over time and we can ask for a longer time commitment later in the process.
4. Teach them Why oral care is so important. Tell them what plaque, cavities, and gingivitis are and explain that we are working to prevent them.  Consider using plaque-revealing mouthwash a few times to show them the short term results of their brushing and flossing efforts.
5. Let them be the teacher. This might seem a little backwards, but education experts agree that teaching a subject can be the best way to learn it. You can role play and let them teach you or they can pretend to instruct their stuffed animal or fictional friend to take care of their teeth. 

Above all, be sensitive to their attention span and endeavor to keep them interested in the subject.  Children are not unlike adults and if you push too hard the dialogue can become polarizing.

Welcome to our Blog.  StarSmilez has served the dental profession for more than a decade with innovative and functional plush products designed for oral health education.  Our purpose is to improve the lives of others as an advocate for great oral health and impact millions of families worldwide through our always expanding distribution relationships now in more than 20 countries.