Back To School Dental Tips
Your family’s summer events were probably filled with cookouts and camping trips, but you may have left out visiting a family dentist. Now that it’s time to return to school, you’re probably focusing on booster shots, sports physicals, buying backpacks, new shoes, and school uniforms. It’s also important to schedule your child’s dental cleaning. Our family dentist in Bucks County will help you set the appointments that you need to ensure a great start to the school year.
Back-to-School Dental Tips: Avoid Decay Today
Visiting a family dentist year-round is essential, and a back-to-school checkup is strategic because it provides a defense against potential problems like pain, speaking difficulties, trouble eating, and school absences. Prevention and early detection can help you avoid lost school hours. More than 51 million school hours are missed each year due to dental disease. Be sure to add dental checkups to your child’s school-ready status.
Age-Appropriate Child Dental Care
Cavity free checkups are great news because they show that your child’s teeth are in excellent condition and that your child is cooperating at home by performing proper dental care. Child dental care should be encouraged daily and should include brushing twice and flossing once a day. Here are some age-appropriate dental tips:
Ages Six and Under
During age six and under, your child’s dental needs are changing consistently as they develop new molars and experience changes in the size and shape of their jaw. By the age of five or six, your child may feel that they are ready to brush and floss on their own. But, they do not have the fine motor skills needed to correctly remove tartar and food that leads to decay.
Ages 7-12
By age 7, your child may know what to do but may not want to do it. Take the time to encourage and enforce regular healthy brushing and flossing habits. You may have to take over more than expected until they understand the responsibility associated with healthy teeth. Take time to remind your child of dental tips to ensure that they are reaching far enough into their mouth and properly flossing.
Ages 12-18
Between the age of 12 and 18, you can expect that your child is mature enough to handle dental care on their own. If your child has gone for years receiving healthy news at each checkup, they can become lazy and expect to continue to experience healthy teeth without doing the required work. This is an important time to bring your teen to the family dentist for routine back-to-school and mid-year checkups to catch signs of decay. Regular visits will remind your teen to properly brush and maintain their healthy smile.
Call your dentist in Bucks County today to schedule your back-to-school checkup and cleaning. A healthy smile will limit the need for emergency dental visits or distracting pain. We look forward to seeing you.