The oral health of your child is of utmost importance. It is also crucial that you teach them good oral hygiene from a very tender age. By taking your child to an orthodontist from the early stage of their life, you are making them comfortable with visits to the dentist and making them understand the importance of oral care in a natural manner. This will also help to prevent many oral complications that might arise as they grow up.
Many parents are usually confused about when to make the first visit to their orthodontist. When it comes to visiting orthodontic specialists, the earlier, the better. Although they are highly concerned about the health of their babies, many parents tend to overlook the importance of the dental health of their babies.
The oral health of a baby is as crucial as their overall health. If you care about their general health and well-being, then you should not be negligent in taking care of their oral health either. You do not have to wait until your child has a full-grown set of permanent teeth, or the child starts having tooth issues before you visit the orthodontist.
You need to take your child to the orthodontist regularly because early visits can help identify potential oral issues your child may encounter, and find the right solution to them immediately rather than waiting until they get older. In this guide, we will be highlighting some of the reasons why you need to take your child to an orthodontist today.
When should be my child’s first visit to the dentist?
The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that a child’s first visit to the dentist should be when they turn one or grow their first tooth. It should also not be later than the age of two. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, the best time to take your child to the dentist is when they are six months old or after the first tooth sprouts.
Your child’s first visit to the dentist is not entirely about getting their teeth checked or about preventative measures. Rather, it is more like introducing them to the dental environment, making them get used to it. If a child has not visited an orthodontist until they have issues with their teeth, then it is more likely that the child will be scared of the entire process and experience.
By visiting the dentist regularly at this early stage, your child will become familiar with the equipment and dentist’s chair.
Three reasons to take your child to the orthodontist today
There is a wide range of reasons why you should take your baby to the orthodontist today. This will not only improve the oral health and overall health of your child but also save you the stress of emergency dental care. Your child will thank you for doing this at this early stage of their life when they grow up. They will be able to grow up with better teeth structure and alignment. Here are the three key reasons to take your baby to an orthodontist today.
To learn about the dental care of children
At this tender age, chances are your child might not have any oral issues, and everything might seem fine. This is why many parents are skeptical of taking their children to the dentist when they are still young. However, taking your child to the dentist at this age does not necessarily mean you are going for treatment.
One of the major reasons why you need to take your child to the orthodontist is to learn about dental care for children. In your first visit, the dentist will educate you about issues such as baby bottle tooth decay. It is also extremely important and highly beneficial that you learn about pacifier usage and thumb-sucking habits, diet schedules, dental care steps for young child, and the different stages of teething.
You will also get the opportunity to discuss your queries about the oral health of your child with the specialist, which can put your mind at ease. You will get professional answers that will help you to enhance the oral health of your child.
Early detection of abnormality or teeth issue
This is another crucial reason why your child should visit the dentist today. An early visit can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. The specialist will inspect and examine the teeth and the oral health of your child. This way, they will be able to spot signs of abnormality or teeth issues (if any) in your child beforehand.
When an issue is diagnosed early, it is easier to treat it rather than when it becomes full-blown. Early visits to the orthodontist will ensure healthy jaws, bite structure, and gums. If the teeth or jaw structure of your child has any issues, chances are they may not be able to speak well. As such, you need to avoid this by taking them to the orthodontist today.
Early treatments can prevent dental problems from becoming severe as your child grows older. In addition to spotting potential dental issues, the orthodontist will recommend the best and most fitting solution for the condition that your child is facing. Sometimes a child might need extreme intervention like jaw or orthognathic surgery, and the earlier this is resolved, the better.
Guide and control tooth eruption
Most children usually experience some sort of discomfort when they are teething. This might be caused by insufficient space in the mouth for the teeth to erupt properly. Fortunately, an early visit can help prevent this issue. The orthodontic specialist will use an x-ray to figure out the trajectory that the erupted teeth will take.
If some teeth are preventing others from erupting, the specialist will find and apply the best possible solution to ease the eruption of the teeth. If this solution is not applied on time, your child will suffer crooked teeth, and this might result in a misaligned jawline.
Summary
Taking your child to the orthodontists at their tender age is very important. You do not have to wait until they develop any tooth issue for you to do that. Book an appointment with an orthodontist today and give your child the best oral care they deserve.