Great professional dental care starts very early on, and it’s recommended you book your child’s first dental appointment when their first tooth erupts, or by their first birthday. This might seem rather young, but there are some clear benefits offered through getting your child into the habit of having regular dental checkups.
Regular Dental Exams Are Invaluable For:
- Enabling Dr. Anil Shah to check your child’s teeth and jaws are developing correctly
- Checking they don’t have any untreated cavities or gum disease
- Getting advice on the best way to look after your child’s teeth
- Finding out when you should begin using fluoride toothpaste
- Advice on the best products to use, and you can gain lots of tips and tricks on how to make brushing and flossing more fun
- Advice on habits such as teeth grinding and snoring
- Reducing the risk of needing emergency dental care
Regular Exams Take the Fear out of Dental Care
In addition, early professional dental care with NYC pediatric dentist Dr. Anil Shah helps get your child into the routine of visiting the dentist. They should grow up seeing regular checkups as a normal part of everyday life rather than something to fear. If Dr. Shah does find anything wrong, it’s likely to be very minor, and it’s much easier to place a tiny filling than to have to carry out more extensive restorative work, or even to extract a badly decayed and infected tooth.
Reducing the Risk of Cavities
Cavities can be a particular problem for young children and it is important to look after their milk teeth, even though they will be replaced by adult teeth. Milk teeth help hold open the correct amount of space for adult teeth so they can erupt normally, and if they are lost too soon it can result in the adult teeth coming through crooked or out of alignment. Early tooth loss can also make it more difficult for your child to eat and to learn to speak clearly. Tooth decay is painful at any age, and may make it difficult for your child to concentrate at school and to generally enjoy life.
Identifying Problems That Could Require Orthodontic Treatment
Regular dental exams with Dr. Anil Shah will help check on the development of your child’s adult teeth. If necessary, your pediatric dentist in New York can refer your child to see an orthodontist as sometimes early intervention can help reduce the need for braces in the future. You’ll also find your dentist can give you useful advice on how to deal with oral habits such as a finger or thumb sucking or the extended use of a pacifier. These habits can all increase the risk of orthodontic problems if they carry on beyond early childhood.
Looking After Your Child’s Teeth Into Adulthood
As your child grows up, you’ll find that Dr. Anil Shah offers quite a range of treatments to help look after your kids teeth in New York City. This can include the use of dental sealants to protect their brand new adult teeth, and custom-made mouthguards to protect their teeth during sporting activities.