The ones that matter most
- Start brushing at the first tooth, twice a day, with a smear of fluoride toothpaste
- Brush their teeth for them until about six or seven -- earlier than that, they cannot physically do it well
- First visit by the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth
- No bottle in bed. Milk pooling around the front teeth overnight is the classic cause of early decay
- Frequency of sugar matters more than quantity -- one dessert is kinder to teeth than grazing all afternoon
- Water between meals, not juice
- Start flossing when two teeth touch
- A mouthguard for any sport with a ball, a stick or a body in it
Why baby teeth matter when they fall out anyway
They hold the space for the adult teeth behind them. A baby molar lost early lets the teeth behind drift forward, and the adult tooth arrives to find its space gone. That is a straightforward way to turn a filling into orthodontics.
They also matter for eating, speech and pain. A child with an abscessed baby tooth is a child not sleeping, and the infection is in the same jaw the adult teeth are forming in.
The first visit
Mostly questions, a count, and a ride in the chair. It is deliberately uneventful, and the point is that the building becomes ordinary before anything needs doing in it.
It can be booked alongside a parent's appointment, which usually makes it one trip. Children who watch a parent have a cleaning tend to find their own less remarkable.
If a tooth gets knocked out
A knocked-out ADULT tooth is time-critical: pick it up by the crown not the root, rinse briefly in milk if dirty, push it back into the socket if you can, and if you cannot, keep it in milk and get to a dentist immediately.
A knocked-out BABY tooth is not replanted, and pushing it back can damage the adult tooth forming above it. Call and describe what happened instead.
This distinction is worth knowing before you need it, because the two instructions are opposite and there is no time to look it up.
Common questions
Asked at the front desk.
When should a child first see a dentist?
By the first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. The first visit is mostly questions, a count and a ride in the chair.
When should children brush their own teeth?
They can hold the brush from early on, but an adult should do the actual brushing until about six or seven. Before that they do not have the coordination to do it properly.
Do baby teeth need fillings if they fall out anyway?
Often yes. They hold space for the adult teeth, and losing one early lets the neighbours drift into the gap. They also hurt and can abscess.
What do I do if my child knocks out a tooth?
A baby tooth is not put back -- call and describe what happened. An adult tooth should be picked up by the crown, rinsed in milk if dirty, and pushed back into the socket if possible, or kept in milk on the way to a dentist.
How much toothpaste should a child use?
A smear the size of a grain of rice under three, and a pea-sized amount after that. It should contain fluoride.
Next step
One phone call, and someone answers it.
3608 Carrington Rd #204, West Kelowna. Thursdays until 7pm, Fridays from 7am. Accepting new patients of every age.