If periodic consultations with the pediatrician are guaranteed to be on the family’s agenda from birth, the child’s trip to the dentist often ends up taking a long time. To give you an idea, a survey carried out in 2021 by the Oral Health Barometer for the Order of Dentists (OMD) showed that 73.4% of children under the age of 6 have never consulted a professional in this field. What many do not know, however, is that the ideal is take your child to the pediatric dentist as soon as the first teeth appearso that monitoring can be carried out from the beginning of teething.
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“It is important to evaluate the sequence in which the teeth are born, whether they come naturally or if they need help, as well as the relationship between the jaw bones and the tongue. We also advise parents about fluoride, types of brushing, diet, common diseases and the best ways to encourage brushing”, explains Luisa de Mello Mattos, specialist in pediatric dentistry.
According to the professional, there is cases when the baby is born with a so-called “neonatal tooth”, which requires monitoring by the dentist since the little one comes into the world. “It must be assessed whether it will be necessary to remove the tooth or whether it is possible to keep it”, says Luisa.
The ideal frequency of children’s visits to the dentist
From zero to three years, since the changes are faster, the pediatric dentist recommends that the frequency of consultations be four every four months. Then from the age of three years and above it is recommended to take the child every six monthsconsidering good oral health conditions, only for prevention.
Can I take my child to the family dentist?
According to Luiza, it is good for children to take care of one pediatric dentist, specializing in the care of child patients. “In our specialty, we study the psychology of children and learn what should be the best management to have safe and more comfortable meetings for the child and the family. The child can also accompany his parents to the family dentist, to understand that it is part of the routine health care, but the care should be done by the pediatric dentist”, emphasizes the professional.
As for her family routine, Luisa remembers how much Parents’ example can make a difference in their children’s relationship with oral care. “Children are like little sponges. If we show them from an early age the importance of preventive consultations, everything tends to be easier and happier. Even when consultations for children under three years old are often worried and crying (which is normal. because this is how they communicate in the beginning), the greater frequency and normalization of consultations by the family makes everything better and better”, he emphasizes. Thus The little one will understand that it is something for his benefit, carrying out the habit.
Prevention as key
The family may choose to talk to a dentist during pregnancy, thinking about the lifestyle they want to provide for the child. “Most of the time, parents seek out a pediatric dentist when they want to prevent or treat tooth decay or malocclusion ( when there is no exact fit between dental arches) due to pacifier or finger sucking habits,” warns Vívian Farfel, pediatric dentist and orthodontist at the University of São Paulo. The question she raises, however, is that Some problems can be prevented not only with proper dental hygiene and conscious use of fluoride, but by changing some daily attitudes.
Our modern lifestyle includes a diet full of packaged and processed foods, refined sugars and highly adulterated staple foods,” the expert warns. cavities as a result of this poor diet. In addition, she recalls that, since we live too much indoors these days, allergic processes that also come from food and other lifestyle habits, especially in big cities, lead to nasal congestion and consequently to breathing from mouth, which can also cause malocclusion.
Finally, Vívian warns about the importance of ea global overview of children’s health, in joint work with a pediatrician, ENT, speech therapist and/or other specialists that the patient may request, aiming at full development. “Pediatric dentists must be trained to adopt the attitude of oral and facial physicians whose responsibilities extend far beyond the alignment and health of teeth. This means valuing all aspects of good health: tongue posture, breathing, eating, body posture, sleep and lifestyle“, Ends.
