Oral health tips for your child’s healthy smile from London dentist
Monday, March 8th, 2010Looking after your children’s teeth is very important, not just for the present but also to ensure that they develop good oral hygiene habits for the rest of their life. Everybody wants the best for their kids but by ignoring their dental welfare you may be unknowingly setting them up for a lifetime of painful and costly dental problems.
Looking after a young child’s teeth is very much up to the parents. This will involve brushing and flossing your child’s teeth for them, but as they get older it s vital you show them the proper ways to brush and floss and stress the importance of healthy without going too far. Try to encourage your child to brush correctly. Never try and force them or make them brush their teeth because this can build up resentment. Make the activity fun or reward them for doing it well. This way the correct methods will become natural.
Take your children to the dentist early to reassure them that there is nothing to be scared about. Most dental phobias stem from an incident in childhood when a child was afraid at the dentist. You may also want to ask you London dentist about fluoride. In some areas it is necessary to supplement your child’s fluoride intake as water supplies vary, but make sure you seek advice first as an excess of fluoride can cause discolouration of enamel later in life.
Your role as a parent is very important to your child’s dental health so if there is ever anything you are unsure about or are having difficulty caring for your child’s teeth, your dentist is always available to give advice and support.

The human body is constantly changing all throughout the lifetime of an individual. Most parents are under the misapprehension that
Not so long ago, people felt that there was no need for a child to see a dentist until their adult teeth erupted. At that point, if the teeth were crooked, or cavities needed filing, a child might be taken to a dentist. Today, many parents are finding out that taking proper care of baby teeth is every bit as important as ensuring that adult teeth are taken care of. Among other things, you may want to consider obtaining a space maintainer from your City of London dentist if a baby tooth falls out too soon.
Your London dentist can answer your questions or concerns about your child’s thumb sucking habit. Sucking is a natural reflex of instinct of infants, which sometimes stays with them into childhood. Thumb sucking tends to give a child a happy and secure feeling. It also allows them to learn about the world around them when they suck on various objects such as pacifiers. Children usually use thumb sucking to relax themselves and to also help them fall asleep. Sometimes children never suck their thumbs and only suck on their pacifiers. If allowed to suck their thumbs while their permanent teeth are forming, thumb sucking can cause numerous preventable problems as the child becomes older. Thumb sucking can cause problems with the proper growth of the permanent teeth and also the roof of the mouth and the pre-maxillary region. All of these can lead to an open anterior bite. Thumb sucking should stop when the formation of the front permanent teeth begins forming; 2-4 years of age. Pacifier use is usually an easier habit to stop for children. Several tips and suggestions that your London dentist has for you are: 1) thumb sucking usually occurs when a child is feeling anxious or insecure, so try to figure out what the causes are and correct them; 2) compliment your child for not sucking their thumb, and don’t give them negative feedback when they do; and 3) try to have your child involved in the stopping process and how they can best succeed to break this habit. Your London dentist can help to explain to your child what the outcome may be if they continue to suck their thumb. If you are not too successful, maybe a sock over the hand at night or some unpleasant tasting medication or foods applied to the thumb may work. However, seek profession advice about what to use before you use these methods.