By Attention New Moms, It’s Time to See a Pediatric Dentist!
Your baby is FINALLY here!!! CONGRATULATIONS! Your life has forever changed for the better! Now, I sincerely hope you aren’t reading this blog if you are in the first few hours of welcoming your baby. But if you are anything like me as a first time mother, you are researching the best ways to keep your baby healthy, and let’s be honest, alive. It’s all about survival people!
Jokes aside, the last thing on your mind as a new mom is going to be your child’s (likely) non-existent teeth. If you’ve researched Dr. Google, you probably have found that your baby’s teeth don’t typically erupt before 5-6 months old. So you’ve got bigger fish to fry. But, as a board certified pediatric dentist, please heed my warning. Dental diseases and problems don’t just randomly occur. They tend to be chronic disease processes that take a while to establish. That hole in your tooth you’ve only just noticed? It’s been in the making for a long time. Your child’s dental problems could begin long before their teeth appear. That’s why it’s so important for your child to see a pediatric dentist at an early stage.
When Should I Take My Child to The Dentist for The First Time?
The answer? Probably much earlier than you imagine!
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend you take your child to the dentist by the age of 1. YES PEOPLE….1 Year old! If your pediatrician has been recommending not to bring your child in until 3 yrs old, guess what, they aren’t up to date with their own academy’s guidelines, (Scary?). But in some circumstances, children need to be seeing a pediatric dentist BEFORE age 1.
It’s been standard practice to wait for the first teeth to erupt before taking your child to the dentist. But there are things we dentists can spot well before the appearance of the first teeth. We can look for the several signs of good oral development as early as the newborn stage.
Mouth breathing in your baby may indicate their teeth and jaw aren’t developing optimally. A newborn’s mouth may even provide insight into difficulties with the birth. Jaw and teeth development factors happen at a remarkable rate during the earliest stages of growth.
Jaw and breathing difficulties can influence oral development, contributing to crooked teeth, sleep apnea and poor craniofacial and airway development.
There are several areas a pediatric dentist should be checking when they are evaluating even newborns for overall dental health.
- Tongue Ties and other oral restrictions.
- Newborn Head and Jaw Posture
- Flat Head Syndrome
- Torticollis
- Oral Posture + Mouth Breathing
- Breastfeeding, Digestive Issues, Possible GERD
These are just a few of the things we evaluate at The Brush Stop Pediatric Dentistry, and none of them involve teeth! So please don’t write off your child’s dental health needs before their first birthday. The jaws make up a large portion of the facial structure, and the upper jaw houses structures like the maxillary sinus, the palate, the eye sockets, and the beginning of the nasal-pharyngeal airway.
So call us at, 760-635-5995, to make an appointment today for your sweet bundle of joy. And help spread the word!
