When Should Your Kid Visit A Pediatric Dental Specialist?
Seeing that your child's teeth come in and grow in an orderly manner is critical to their long-term dental health. It's important for families to develop relationships with pediatric dental specialists, but you may be wondering when it's appropriate to be worried about any one specific development. Many parents assume that certain events, such as losing a tooth, are completely natural and therefore don't call for professional attention. You should, however, consider talking with a specialist under these four circumstances.
A Tooth Fell Out Too Soon
Your child is expected to lose all their juvenile teeth at some point, but this fact can encourage parents to be complacent. The timing of the loss of teeth is important, as an early or late loss of a tooth can lead to issues with surrounding teeth. Of similar import is the fact that the canal created by each original tooth will serve as a guide for the adult tooth following it to grow in. If this canal ends up being misaligned, it can lead to bigger problems that'll have to be dealt with in your child's teen or adult years.
When You Just Don't Know
There are a lot of simple-sounding questions that you might not know the answers to. For example, when should your kid move to an adult toothbrush? How often should a child be brushing their teeth? Are they doing it the right way? Is fluoride necessary?
Do not assume the answers based on your own upbringing. Even if your parents were acting on the best advice at the time, guidance on children's dental issues will change over time as people learn more.
Speech Issues
A surprising number of speech-related problems children display are driven by dental issues. If your kid seems to be having difficulty speaking, especially if they're clearly making an effort, it may be worthwhile to talk with a dentist about what the problem might be.
Any Signs of Tooth Decay
It might seem a little strange to patch up a tooth that's going to fall out anyhow, but remember that the health of the juvenile teeth is essential to the health of the eventual adult teeth that'll follow. This is why once the primary teeth all come in at the back of a child's mouth pediatric dental specialists will want to schedule X-rays at least once a year to stay out in front of decay.
For more information, contact a local dentist office or visit sites like http://www.childrensdent.com.
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