By Is Your Child at Greater Risk of Dental Disease?
Earlier this week a study conducted by Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio was released showing results that the odds of a child having tooth decay at the first dental visit more than doubles EVERY year of increased age, DentistryToday- Tooth decay risk doubles with each year kids don’t see a dentist. This mean that if you are bringing your child to the dentist for the first time at age three, they are four times more likely to have dental decay than if they had been seen regularly since age one. If you wait until five, they are almost 20 times more likely to have cavities!
If someone told you that your child was twenty times as likely to develop a systemic infection if you postpone his or her well visit with the pediatrician, you bet that there would never be a skipped appointment.
So why then is it so easy for us to forget about the dentist? Well, in part, it’s simply not that well known that you should be bringing your child to the dentist by age 1. The last thing a person might think about is visiting a dentist when their child only has a few teeth. In fact, many pediatricians don’t recommend that their patients see the dentist before age three! SIDE NOTE: if your pediatrician is recommending this, it’s time to meet a new pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children seek their first dental visit by age 1. And lastly, our reliance on dental insurance has hindered many families from seeking the support earlier.
Dental enamel is the hardest material in our bodies. In fact, the teeth of a limpet are the strongest natural substance in the world. Even fire can’t destroy teeth! But dental decay can. Teeth can only be destroyed while we are alive! And the moment your child erupts their first tooth they are the MOST susceptible to dental decay, because the teeth mature for roughly two years after its eruption.
At The Brush Stop Pediatric Dentistry in Carlsbad, we have tried to eliminate every obstacle, to make it easy for you to bring your child in by age 1, by offering a complimentary kick-start exam for babies! To learn more about what we are actually evaluating at this exam, read our other blog, Attention New Moms: Its Time To See A Pediatric Dentist, and call us to schedule your child’s first visit with @The Brush Stop at 760-635-5995.
