KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

5 Reasons to Prioritize Your Children's Oral Health

child brushing teeth

The health of your kids' teeth is very important, from the moment they begin to develop their first set of pearly whites. Milk teeth set the tone for the permanent set, and poor oral care can affect the growth and robustness of adult teeth. That’s why it’s crucial to begin caring for your child’s oral health as soon as possible. Read on to learn some oral care tips and delve into some reasons why it is important for your child.

1. Influence Their Overall Oral Function

Poor oral care in children's teeth can cause cavities and more difficult issues, like tooth loss or problems with chewing and digesting food. Essentially, their oral care will impact their health positively or negatively, depending on. Their oral condition may impact how they speak or formulate words. For example, a large overbite due to prolonged pacifier use or thumb sucking can cause difficulties saying the letters "s" and "z," and some children develop a lisp. Taking your child to the dentist early on can help prevent these things from developing.

An estimated 3% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 have never been to the dentist. The lack of dental care could lead to other serious dental problems like tooth caries, tooth loss, and having to get emergency dental work done at the spur of the moment. Invest in their oral care early on to avoid these issues and keep them on the right developmental track.

2. Prevent Early Tooth Loss and Overcrowding

Children who eat a diet with a high sugar content, soda, and sweets can develop plaque, bacteria, and tooth decay. Not practicing oral hygiene from a young age also puts them at risk of early onset tooth decay, tooth loss, and misplaced permanent teeth.

When the primary teeth, or milk teeth, come out too soon because of tooth decay, it can result in the permanent teeth growing on the wrong sections of the gums. This may lead to overcrowded teeth. In some cases, when there is too much space on the gum, it causes gaps between the teeth. Gaps also occur when the adult teeth have not managed to develop completely, and thus, the teeth sizes are smaller than they should be for the secondary and permanent set.

3. Natural Familiarization for Good Oral Hygiene

Teaching your child from a young age to brush their teeth every day is a little stepping stone that will further help them remember this as they get older. When they are older, you can incorporate flossing as part of their teeth cleaning maintenance. Experts recommend using waxed floss of about 18 inches long when flossing. The length also helps with maximum grip when maneuvering the floss between the teeth.

4. More Effective for Your Child

Taking your child to the dentist for cleaning will help get to the sections of their teeth that the regular junior toothbrush may not be able to reach. It will also help reduce the risk of tooth decay. However, watching what your child eats in conjunction with cleaning their teeth goes in hand with each other.

5.   Positive Connection to the Dentist

Many people are fearful of seeing the dentist, and lots of these folks have had a bad experience and now suffer anxiety and avoid the dentist at all costs. Associating the dentist with the positive aspects that it is meant for and helping your child get used to seeing the dentist that the whole family goes and they make teeth better is positive reinforcement.

Lawsuits that were issued over the years are linked to many things, and the following may be eligible for wrongful death lawsuits. A wrongful death lawsuit proposes that the defendant acted negligently or committed malpractice of some sort. When choosing a dentist for your children, be sure to do proper research and choose a provider with a good history. Best of luck in this journey!