Dentist Blog

If you are a parent then you know that there are many precious things you have to take care of when you have a baby, including baby teeth.  If you are not aware of the importance of baby teeth and why they should be taken care of, all your Palatine dentist needs you to know is that they provide exceptional support in your child’s development.  From talking, to eating, to growing straight and gapless permanent teeth, there is a lot these baby teeth are good for.  So taking care of them is absolutely a must.  

The problem is that there is not always an expert standing by to tell you how to do every little thing, and when it comes to something like teeth, expert advice could definitely come in handy.  You might not have a dentist in the family, but the Palatine dentist is more than willing to offer you a few solid tips on taking care of those tiny teeth.   

Dentists are urging parents to teach children early about oral hygiene, reports the Abilene Reporter-News. Some parents wait until their children are four years old to bring them to the dentist, but the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends taking children to the dentist before their first birthday. Children's baby teeth usually erupt between the ages of six to eight months.

"In the past, if a kid had a toothache the first time they come to dentist is to have a tooth pulled," said Dr. Seth Ardoin, a dentist with Abilene Pediatric Dental Associates, to the Abilene Reporter-News. "We want their first time they visit to be good. They get their teeth brushed, get a sticker and have fun. We want them to have a positive attitude about dentistry."

Cavities are quickly becoming a big problem for many children, young children. Can you imagine bringing your preschooler in to a dental appointment and finding out they have 10 cavities or more? For many parents that kind of news is a shock, but for more and more dentists around the country it is becoming common. Sadly there are a large number of children across the country beginning their lives without even basic dental care. This in turn correlates to more childhood cavities in Palatine.

Over the last five years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been warning parents of this epidemic. Too many guardians are neglecting their child’s teeth and the number of preschoolers with cavities has increased. This is the first time in 40 years this has happened. More kids are receiving more aggressive treatment early, and the worst part is that such operations are largely preventable. Really toddlers should not be receiving root canals.

The Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation is launching a campaign to encourage parents to bring their children to the dentist by the age of one year old. The "Dentist By 1" campaign is a public service campaign to raise awareness of the importance of early dental visits. The campaign is designed to educate parents about the importance of dentist visits at an early age.

"Caregivers may think because their child's baby teeth will eventually fall out, that caring for them is less important. But baby teeth help children chew and speak properly and hold space for permanent teeth," said Dr. Katina Morelli, a dentist and dental director for Delta Dental of Illinois, in a statement. "Tooth decay is nearly 100 percent preventable, but can develop any time after teeth appear in the mouth, starting around 6 months of age. So it's important to begin good oral health habits, like visiting the dentist, when children are very young."