Your child starts out with a set of baby teeth, but as they get older, those will fall out to be replaced by their permanent teeth. But what should you do when your child has a loose baby tooth? Watch this short video for some tips on whether you should leave it alone or help it come out.
Then call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 to make your next family dentistry appointment. Even children who have their baby teeth need regular care because they can still get cavities and gum disease. Plus, our Winnipeg dentists know how to work with children and help them feel safe in the dentist’s office.
It’s the height of summer, and your family is likely enjoying the warm weather and foods that come with the season. However, you need to be careful. There are several dental dangers during the summer you need to know about.
Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 to schedule your next family dentistry appointment. Dental exams are important to make sure your family’s smiles are healthy and strong, and our Winnipeg dentists work great with children.
You have the responsibility to take care of your children. That’s a very broad term, but it generally means you have to help them grow up right. At first, that often includes making sure they’re being healthy and safe. But at some point, your kids need to take on their own responsibility.
That’s why it’s crucial to help your kids’ dental health by giving them the right dental habits. For example, you can’t always be there to remind them about brushing and flossing.
Call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 and make your next family dentistry appointment. Our Winnipeg dentists know how to work with children, and because establishing those habits are so important, children three years old and younger can have a free initial visit.
Turning A Good Idea Into A Habit
When they grow up, your children should be able to live independently. Sure, they need to stay in touch with mom and dad! But they also need to function without help. That means giving them great habits. But how do you turn a good idea into a habit?
The keys here are repetition and consistency.
- Repetition means your kids have to do the same activity over and over again. It’s not enough to tell your kids to brush. You have to make sure they keep brushing twice each day — once in the morning and once before bed — repeatedly.
- Consistency means your kids have to repeat these actions for days, weeks, even months in a row. Missing one day is not going to ruin this process, but the more consistent your kids are with these actions, the more likely they will stop thinking about them and accept them as regular parts of their daily lives.
Tips For Giving Great Dental Habits
Here are some ideas for helping your kids have great dental habits that improve their dental health and take a little pressure off the parents.
– Treat fruit juice and diet soda as rare treats.
While it’s true that juice has plenty of vitamins, it also has plenty of sugar. Even the unsweetened kind is bad for your kids’ teeth because sugar feeds the bacteria behind cavities and gum disease. Although diet soda has no sugar, it’s highly acidic. That acid will erode enamel and weaken teeth.
That’s why it’s best to treat both drinks as rare treats to enjoy on special occasions instead of any go-to drink. That way, they don’t get into the habit of drinking stuff that hurts their smiles.
– Make sure your kids see you brushing and flossing.
Children love playing “grown up.” They’re eager to grow up and act like an adult. But that doesn’t just mean they copy what you do — they also avoid doing what they never see you do. If you tell them to brush and floss but they never see you doing the same, they can easily believe dental care is just for children.
You don’t have to stage a big production out of it. But every now and then, make sure your kids see that you brush and floss just like you want them to. This can help turn this into a habit.
– Let your children pick out their own toothbrush.
Because they’re so young, kids cannot have too much control over their lives. Otherwise, they’d eat nothing but junk food and would never get enough sleep. You can take advantage of that to build a great dental habit.
Take your kids to the store and let them pick out their own toothbrush. Giving them a little control over this choice can help make it special to them. This means they’ll be more likely to consistently brush their teeth.
– Make your family’s dental visits around the same time.
As with letting your kids see you brush and floss, you can build great dental habits by making appointments with our Winnipeg, MB dental office for you and your kids around the same time. By seeing you visit a dentist regularly, they’re more likely to view such visits as a normal part of life. That means they’ll visit a dentist regularly themselves.
Call Lakewood Dental Centre today at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to make your next appointment for family dentistry.
As a parent, you know it’s your responsibility to help kids take care of themselves. They’re just too young to do it themselves all the time. But it can be hard for kids to take care of things if they really do not like going to the dentist.
That’s why you need to call our Winnipeg, MB dental office today at 204-977-8515 and make a family dentistry appointment. Our dental team knows how to work well with kids, and our dentists can see children as young as three years’ old.
Your Child’s First Dental Appointment
How you grow up affects your life as an adult. For example, if you had a bad experience with a dog growing up, you could have a fear or dislike of dogs as an adult. That’s true for dentistry as well, which is why that first dental appointment is so important.
If your child has a bad experience at their first dental visit, that can build dental anxiety in them. This can get in the way of getting needed dental exams and dental cleanings. Adults with bad dental experiences as a child can be more likely to skip visits.
Our dental team understands that, which is why they go out of their way to help children feel welcome and safe. By having such a great first dental visit, your child can be more likely to make future appointments as an adult.
Why Your Kids Still Need Dental Care
Although baby teeth are just going to fall out, you still need to take care of them. If a baby tooth gets a cavity, it can keep growing until it infects the tooth. This causes a bad toothache which a young child is not ready to handle. Such infected teeth can need to be removed.
Children can also start to have problems with gum disease. That’s why cleaning the teeth at home and regular dental visits are still very important to your children, even if they don’t have a single adult tooth yet.
Dental Care Tips For Your Children
PROBLEMS WITH TEETHING
When those baby teeth first start showing up, babies can get fussy. That’s because it’s uncomfortable for teeth to erupt through the gums. There are several things you can do to help with teething.
Clean your finger and gently massage the gums. You can also use a cold teething ring, as the coldness and pressure help alleviate some of the pain. (Just don’t use a frozen ring. That’s too hard and can hurt more than help.) You can also use a numbing gel approved for infants.
CARING FOR BABY TEETH
Just because baby teeth are going to fall out doesn’t mean you can ignore them. Gum disease can strike at any age, and if a tooth gets infected, your child can face inflammation problems. Don’t use a fluoride toothpaste yet. Instead, use a soft-bristled brush and water to clean the teeth and gums.
HELPING KIDS FEEL SAFER
For many kids, the dentist’s office is too strange to feel comfortable in. That’s because even the best dental office for kids is going to be full of strangers, unusual noises, and weird tools and equipment. Plus, some strange person is going to be touching their teeth!
You can help alleviate dental anxiety in kids by going with them to their appointments. For young kids, they might be able to sit in your lap while getting a dental exam or dental cleaning. Older kids can’t do that, but you can still make an appointment for yourself back-to-back with theirs. This way, your kids know you’re there with them.
BUILDING GOOD DENTAL HABITS
A great trip to the dentist is one where there are no problems found. That means taking care of teeth and gums at home is so important. To help your kids develop great dental habits, let them pick out their own toothbrush. Get a toothpaste they like. You can also let them see you brush and floss so they know dental care is what “grown-ups” do too.
Call Lakewood Dental Centre today at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to schedule family dentistry appointments for everyone in your home.
At Lakewood Dental Centre, we are happy to see children as young as one year old come by for a dental exam. While dental cleanings aren’t necessary at that age, our dentists can check over your child’s development of baby teeth. As your children grow, you can keep bringing them to our Winnipeg, MB dental office for regular dental care, advice on brushing and flossing, and then orthodontic treatments when they are old enough.
Call us today at 204-977-8515 to schedule an appointment for you or your children.
Welcome to the new blog and website for Lakewood Dental Centre in Winnipeg, MB! You can expect regular updates from our blog about helpful dental care information. Our website now has more information than ever about the treatments and procedures our general dentists, Dr. Dhillon and Dr. McDermid, offer, such as:
- Teeth cleaning and exams for general dentistry and family dentistry
- Dental veneers, teeth whitening, and orthodontics for cosmetic dentistry
- Dental implants, dental bridges, and root canals for restorative dentistry
- Treatments for TMJ, migraines, sleep apnea, and gum disease
Lakewood Dental Centre is proud to be a provider of these dental services to St. Boniface, St. Vital, Southdale, and the surrounding communities. To book your appointment, call us at 204-977-8515 or use our online form.
Learn More About Lakewood Dental Centre
Lakewood Dental Centre was established by Dr. McDermid and his wife in 1977 – almost 40 years ago! To learn more about our Winnipeg, MB dental office:
- Get better acquainted with Dr. McDermid, Dr. Dhillon, and our team.
- Have a dental question? We have an answer for you! Visit our “FAQ” page.
- Find out more “About Us,” including payment options and details about our dental office.
Consistently Great Care From Lakewood Dental Centre
A new blog and a new website are great, but we’ll still continue to do the things you’ve come to value from us over the years. We still have extended office hours and are here for you in a dental emergency, and our general dentists are still dedicating time every year to advancing their dentistry knowledge.
Call us at 204-977-8515 or use our online form to book your appointment. Old patient or new patient, we have a dental chair for you. We can’t wait to see you at Lakewood Dental Centre!