Tackling Your Dental Treatment Plan

A family dentist can provide dental care at every stage of life. Many dentists suggest that young patients start to receive professional dental care as soon as their first teeth erupt. Thus, babies may attend their first dental visit when they are only a few months old. 

Here are a few services that a family dentist may provide for an infant.

Dental Education

Many young parents know little about the at-home care of their baby's teeth. Thus, early dental appointments are particularly important, because the dentist can offer the parents instructions concerning the child's proper oral care. 

As soon as a tooth is exposed in the mouth, it becomes susceptible to decay. The microbes of the mouth release bacterial acids as they feed on the simple sugars that are present in the child's food or drinks. These acids damage the tooth material and cause the development of dental caries. 

To help discourage the formation of decay, the dentist may suggest that parents clean the child's teeth after each feeding. If the baby is very young, the dentist may suggest a finger brush or a washcloth for the cleaning sessions. The parent can easily control the intensity and direction of these cleaning utensils. 

For young babies, if a paste is used during the cleaning, the dentist is unlikely to suggest a fluoride toothpaste. Instead, pastes that are fluoride-free with a child-friendly flavoring are typically preferred. Although fluoride can help prevent tooth decay, the substance is toxic when swallowed in large amounts. Young babies may swallow a sweet fluoride toothpaste, unaware of the danger.

The dentist may also suggest that the parents wean their youngsters as soon as possible. The prolonged use of the bottle is associated with a severe form of tooth decay called baby bottle decay. The condition is so severe that it can cause many of the baby's teeth to turn black.

Oral Exam and Frenulectomy

During an early dental appointment, the dentist performs a visual examination of the child's oral cavity. During the exam, the dentist looks for signs of abnormality and decay. They note the condition of the baby's teeth, gums, and other soft tissues, such as the frenulum.

The frenulum is the small bit of connective tissue that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth. If the frenulum is too short, it may restrict the movement of the tongue, hindering nursing, bottle feeding, and proper speech development. 

The dentist can easily free the tongue by snipping the frenulum. The procedure, which is called a frenulectomy, is brief and causes little pain. 

If you would like to schedule a dental visit for your baby, contact the office of a family dentist in your area.