3 Reasons Your Child Should See a Dentist Regularly

Eating, talking, and smiling are all incredibly important activities that rely on good dental health. You want your child to have the best foundation possible in each of these areas, which is exactly what we accomplish through our pediatric dentistry.

At Pure Smiles, Dr. Leila Shahbazi and our team understand the importance of early oral care in kids, which is why we offer comprehensive pediatric dentistry services. From the moment your child’s first teeth start making an appearance, our ongoing care can make a big difference in their future dental health. 

To illustrate our point, here are three reasons pediatric dental care is so important.

1. Combatting tooth decay

As soon as your child’s teeth start erupting, we want to do what we can to avoid tooth decay.

 Unfortunately, more than half of American kids between the ages of 6 and 8 have at least one cavity in their baby teeth. 

While you might wonder why we’re concerned about baby teeth since they will fall out anyway, these teeth play an invaluable role in your kid’s development. Your child needs their baby teeth to learn how to chew and talk, and these teeth act as placeholders for their permanent teeth.

Not to mention, cavities can lead to painful infections in your child’s gums in the form of abscesses.

So, to protect your child’s teeth and gums, we spend a lot of time monitoring for early signs of tooth decay during your child’s visits. If we find a cavity, we can quickly clear away the decay and place a filling in the tooth.

We also provide thorough cleanings during your child’s visits to remove plaque, and we can apply sealants to the chewing surfaces of your child’s teeth as an added layer of protection against tooth decay.

2. Setting the stage for excellent dental health down the road

During your child’s visits with us, we review great dental hygiene practices to set the stage for optimal dental health going forward.

For example, we teach your child how to brush and floss correctly, which tends to have more of an impact when it comes from us. We also discuss with them why it’s essential to take care of their teeth and gums.

We review with you which products are best for your child’s teeth so that you can ensure you’re armed with the right tools for great dental health.

3. Monitoring and correcting misaligned teeth

Another great benefit of pediatric dental care is our ability to monitor how your child’s permanent teeth come in and whether there are any issues we need to address. From impacted teeth to misalignments, we’re there every step of the way to provide the tools and treatments necessary to ensure that your child has aligned and straight teeth.

When and how often your child should see us

It’s a good idea to start seeing us for pediatric dentistry around the age of 3 after their baby teeth have all come in. From there, it’s a good idea to come every six months, just as for adults, for cleanings and comprehensive dental exams.

For expert and friendly pediatric dental care for your child, please schedule an appointment with our office in Scottsdale, Arizona.