Pediatric Dentist In Manhattan Shares Tips for Parents and Kids
There are a few basic essentials to ensuring your child has a healthy smile. It’s not overly complicated, but it does require practice and patience. As your trusted pediatric dentist in Manhattan, we’re here to make caring for your child’s oral health as easy as possible. With that in mind, here is some detailed information to help your child achieve optimal oral health.
What Is Tooth Decay?
First of all, let’s talk about what tooth decay is. Tooth decay is a disease of the tooth caused by plaque — a sticky coating on the tooth, formed by germs. The germs thrive on sugars from food and drinks, producing a damaging acid that erodes teeth. Over time, this acid can eat away the tooth and cause holes — better known as cavities.
Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and discomfort in your child’s mouth, and can also spread to other baby and adult teeth, causing more problems. Most dental anxiety stems from coming in with a painful issue. Once at the dentist, we can relieve pain and create comfort, but the association of something painful and the resulting visit to the dentist can create dental fear in your child. The good news is that there are three basic steps you can help your child to follow to prevent tooth decay.
Support Your Child’s Best Oral Health with These 3 Tips
1. Brush teeth twice a day: This might seem obvious, but many kids skip brushing sometimes. To help protect your child’s teeth, encourage them to brush when they get up in the morning and before they go to bed at night. Provide a fluoride toothpaste for best results.
All toothpaste helps to remove plaque, but fluoride toothpaste provides an extra layer of protection by strengthening the tooth enamel. This makes the tooth less susceptible to decay.
2. Minimize sugar consumption: Share healthy meals with little to no sugar, as sugar is a major cause of tooth decay. When your child does have something sugary, make sure they brush teeth afterwards.
Be aware that carbonated soft drinks aren’t the only culprits when it comes to sugary beverages. Juices expose your child’s teeth to sugars, as well. Use water in sippy cups, and encourage teeth brushing after your child enjoys some juice.
3. Have regular dental checkups: Come in to Sky Dental for a pediatric dental checkup and cleaning twice a year. This way, we’ll be able to support you in ensuring your child’s oral health throughout the year. If there are any signs of damage or decay, we may be able to catch them early and help you and your child make changes to prevent further damage in the future.
Having healthy teeth helps kids feel at ease with their smile as they grow. Preventing the pain and discomfort of a cavity is important, and so is promoting the kind of self-confidence that comes from just being happy being yourself!
Whether you’re looking for a pediatric dentist in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or even Jersey City, Sky Dental is located in the perfect spot for parents seeking the right dental practice to meet their family’s needs. Call us today to schedule your child’s next visit!
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