Page 28 - Inspire Health March/April 2016
P. 28
n it comes to kids’ dental Baby
care, it’s wise to start early. Dr. teeth:
Marsha Gordon, a pediatric
dentist in Allentown, said problems with Children, hygiene and the dentist
children’s teeth can begin almost as soon as By Jack Romig
those teeth appear.
“The rule about seeing a dentist for the
first time is by the first birthday or 6 months
after the first tooth comes in,” said Gordon.
“According to the American Academy of
Pediatric Dentistry, 50 percent of children were
getting cavities before they were seen by a
dentist. Half the children age 2 and 3 have mild
gum inflammation.”
“The hope is to educate parents to have a
dental home,” she said, and so avoid tooth and
gum troubles in these youngsters.
Toddlers and even some older kids need
parents’ help with tooth care. Even new
teeth should be brushed, gently and carefully.
Gordon said using toothpaste with fluoride
helps protect those little teeth, but only small
amounts — a light smear barely covering the
brush — should initially be used, to limit the
amount the child ingests.
At 3 years old — or when the child can spit
— it’s time to graduate to a pea‑sized dab of
paste on the toothbrush. Many children lack
the dexterity to brush their teeth properly
until they’re about 8, so parents should help
them until then.
The notion that dental care is unimportant for
“baby teeth” is wrong, Gordon said. Healthy first
teeth help properly align adult teeth coming in
behind them. Besides that, bad teeth in children
can be painful and embarrassing, and may work
against good health overall.
Parents can prepare their kids for a lifetime
of low‑anxiety dental care by dialing back their
own concerns.
“The less fuss you make about it, the better,”
Gordon said. Letting a little one know the day
of an appointment is probably soon enough.
Morning visits can put a calmer, better rested
child in the dentist’s chair. It might sound obvious
to say, but a trip to the dentist should never be
treated as a threat or punishment.
Gordon is the chair of pediatric dentistry
at the Lehigh Valley Health Network. She
explained that a pediatric specialty requires four
years of training at an accredited dental school,
followed by two to three years of additional
training. For the most part, pediatric dentists
serve children up to 18 years old.
28 INSPIRE HEALTH March · April 2016
care, it’s wise to start early. Dr. teeth:
Marsha Gordon, a pediatric
dentist in Allentown, said problems with Children, hygiene and the dentist
children’s teeth can begin almost as soon as By Jack Romig
those teeth appear.
“The rule about seeing a dentist for the
first time is by the first birthday or 6 months
after the first tooth comes in,” said Gordon.
“According to the American Academy of
Pediatric Dentistry, 50 percent of children were
getting cavities before they were seen by a
dentist. Half the children age 2 and 3 have mild
gum inflammation.”
“The hope is to educate parents to have a
dental home,” she said, and so avoid tooth and
gum troubles in these youngsters.
Toddlers and even some older kids need
parents’ help with tooth care. Even new
teeth should be brushed, gently and carefully.
Gordon said using toothpaste with fluoride
helps protect those little teeth, but only small
amounts — a light smear barely covering the
brush — should initially be used, to limit the
amount the child ingests.
At 3 years old — or when the child can spit
— it’s time to graduate to a pea‑sized dab of
paste on the toothbrush. Many children lack
the dexterity to brush their teeth properly
until they’re about 8, so parents should help
them until then.
The notion that dental care is unimportant for
“baby teeth” is wrong, Gordon said. Healthy first
teeth help properly align adult teeth coming in
behind them. Besides that, bad teeth in children
can be painful and embarrassing, and may work
against good health overall.
Parents can prepare their kids for a lifetime
of low‑anxiety dental care by dialing back their
own concerns.
“The less fuss you make about it, the better,”
Gordon said. Letting a little one know the day
of an appointment is probably soon enough.
Morning visits can put a calmer, better rested
child in the dentist’s chair. It might sound obvious
to say, but a trip to the dentist should never be
treated as a threat or punishment.
Gordon is the chair of pediatric dentistry
at the Lehigh Valley Health Network. She
explained that a pediatric specialty requires four
years of training at an accredited dental school,
followed by two to three years of additional
training. For the most part, pediatric dentists
serve children up to 18 years old.
28 INSPIRE HEALTH March · April 2016
