The time of the first visit of the child to
the dentist
Usually it
happens around 2 years of age but it would be best to bring them in as
soon as you think they are old enough to sit in a dentist's
chair without being scared enough to cry and scream.
The parent Should accompany the child into the operatory.
In a majority of cases, children do perfectly well with parents in
the operatory. It is the minority of cases that are the
most difficult, and the ones in which the parents are best
asked to leave for the waiting room.
The correct
age
for the child to start
brushing
The moment the
first tooth erupts in the oral cavity, brushing should be
started. Before that in
infants , the gum pads should be cleaned with a soft piece
of cloth by the parents.
Parents
concerned about their child's oral health may do some of the
brushing for them, but it is always best not to make it an
unpleasant experience. The easiest
way to indoctrinate children in brushing is to let them
watch you do it on a regular basis and then encourage them
to imitate you when they show an interest.
Technique is
not important at an early age. The point is
to get them to start to handle the toothbrush at an early
age, and to get them used to having one in their mouth.
The importance of Milk Teeth
Baby teeth are
just as important as adult teeth, and must be just as well
protected from disease and made to stay in the oral
cavity.
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Children need their teeth as much as we do to chew and smile. If
the teeth are lost early, the child will suffer pain and
an inability to eat properly will lead to poor
nutrition.
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Though we as adults do not give it importance, but children do
have a social life and feel embarrassed to have missing
teeth. This might lead to psychological problems.
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The baby teeth are
essential for holding the spaces open so that the adult
teeth can come into the correct position when they are
finally developed.
The normal pattern of eruption of milk teeth
The child has 20 milk
teeth. Over a period of time these 20 teeth will be replaced
by 20 permanent teeth (incisors, canines and pre molars) and
12 more teeth ( molars ) to have a total of 32 permanent
teeth.
The first teeth begin to erupt at about age 6 months and continue
until about age 24 months at which time all 20 of the baby
teeth are in place.
In general,
the teeth erupt from the front to the back, and the lowers
come in about 2 to 6 months before the corresponding upper
teeth. The lower incisors are the first teeth to erupt
followed by upper front teeth.
If your child
is late, don't worry. They may finish as much as a year
behind schedule.
If your child
is missing one or more baby teeth, it does not necessarily
mean that she will be missing the corresponding adult
teeth. If some of the
baby teeth are discolored or misshapen, it does not usually
indicate that there will be a problem with the adult teeth.
The
normal pattern of eruption of child’s adult teeth
The first adult tooth erupts even before the child has lost the
first baby tooth, at about age 6. They are the first adult
molars and they erupt behind the existing baby teeth. At about the
same time the lower baby central incisors will loosen and
fall out to allow the adult central incisors to erupt. All the baby
teeth should be gone, or the remaining ones lost by age 12. The adult
teeth that are forming under them will continue to erupt
through age 17 or 18 when the wisdom teeth finally are
supposed to erupt.
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