{"id":13,"date":"2019-02-07T18:34:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T18:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=13"},"modified":"2019-03-08T18:38:06","modified_gmt":"2019-03-08T18:38:06","slug":"family-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/07\/family-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Teeth Are More Important Than You Think! A Family Dentist Explains Why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Little-Boy-Getting-Exam.jpg\" alt=\"Little Boy Getting a Dental Exam\" class=\"wp-image-14\" width=\"291\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Little-Boy-Getting-Exam.jpg 346w, https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Little-Boy-Getting-Exam-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 291px) 100vw, 291px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking care of little ones can be overwhelming for any\nparent. With so many priorities, you really have to pick your battles when it\ncomes to what you devote your time and attention to. Although it may surprise\nyou, caring for your child\u2019s baby teeth is one battle worth fighting! In honor\nof February being National Children\u2019s Dental Health Month, this blog explains\nwhy it\u2019s so important to maintain baby teeth and how scheduling regular checkups\nwith a family dentist is the first step. Learn more below! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do Baby Teeth Matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s understandable to think that baby teeth don\u2019t matter very much since they\u2019re going to fall out eventually. But the truth is that they\u2019re incredibly important to your child\u2019s smile now <em>and<\/em> later. Here\u2019s why: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Although baby teeth do fall out at some point,\nthey still need to function for many years (some up to age 12). Children of all\nages need a healthy, full set of teeth to speak clearly, chew comfortably, and\nsmile with confidence. <\/li><li>Baby teeth guide the development and position of\nthe adult teeth. If they get large cavities and have to be extracted, it affects\nthe health of the permanent teeth. <\/li><li>A cavity is actually a type of infection &#8211; whether\nit\u2019s in a baby tooth or a permanent one. If a cavity goes untreated, this\ninfection can become an abscess and spread to other areas of the body, which is\nvery dangerous. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Are Checkups With a Family Dentist So Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best things you can do to make sure your child\u2019s\nbaby teeth stay healthy is to schedule <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">regular\ncheckups<\/a> with a family dentist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommends\nthat children get their first checkup within 6 months of getting their first\ntooth (or around their first birthday). Don\u2019t worry if your child is older than\nthis &#8211; just schedule as soon as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what the first checkup (sometimes called a \u201chappy\nvisit\u201d)&nbsp; will include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A dentist will spend time reviewing your child\u2019s\nmedical and dental history and discuss any questions you may have. <\/li><li>Children typically don\u2019t get X-rays and a\ncleaning until they\u2019re about 3-4 years old. Earlier than that, they\u2019ll simply\nget visual exams to make sure everything is normal and healthy. <\/li><li>A dentist will recommend the best way to keep\nyour child\u2019s teeth clean at home to keep them cavity-free. They\u2019ll also discuss\nthe best products to use and tell you whether fluoridated toothpaste is\nappropriate. <\/li><li>If you don\u2019t live in an area with a fluoridated\nwater supply, they can prescribe supplements to help your child\u2019s teeth develop\nas strong as possible.<\/li><li>Finally, your child will get a new toothbrush\nand pick out a toy, which will probably become their favorite part of their\nappointments!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of the goal of the first checkup is simply to help your child have a positive experience, which sets them up for a lifetime of comfortable dental care and helps them avoid a fear of the dentist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scheduling these 2 preventive visits each year goes a long\nway towards keeping your child\u2019s baby teeth (and future teeth) healthy. A\nlittle time spent now on their dental health will pay off for the rest of their\nlife! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/meet-the-dentist.html\">Dr. Ukti\nPhadnis<\/a> is a family dentist and a graduate of the UConn School of Dental\nMedicine. When it comes to oral health, she enjoys giving her pediatric\npatients the best start possible in life and always takes the time to educate\nparents about preventive care. If you have any other questions about your\nchild\u2019s baby teeth, she can be reached via her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/contact-us.html\">website.<\/a>&nbsp; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taking care of little ones can be overwhelming for any parent. With so many priorities, you really have to pick your battles when it comes to what you devote your time and attention to. Although it may surprise you, caring for your child\u2019s baby teeth is one battle worth fighting! In honor of February being [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13\/revisions\/15"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}