First Dental Check-up
As our Bellevue dental clinic is a family dentist, we see a lot of children coming in for their very first check-ups. Some parents think that oral hygiene is less important at a young age, as the children do not yet have their permanent teeth, but this is a dangerous misconception. The truth is that your primary teeth have a very important role to play that can affect your child’s mouth well into adulthood.
Proper Dental Care
What you need to understand is that primary teeth are your mouth’s “training wheels”, and you can’t get too far on training wheels if you let them break. These are the teeth that your child is using to develop proper chewing habits, speech patterns, and brushing technique. Any handicap at these developmental years can cause long-lasting problems that only get more difficult as they age. If primary teeth are not cared for properly, the permanent teeth may even come in crooked. The consequences on your child’s health and self-esteem can be disastrous.
First Dental Visit at Overlake Dental
The recommended age for a first dental visit is within six months of when the child’s first tooth erupts, or about when he or she turns one year old. Do the right thing for your children, and get them to Overlake Family Dental as soon as they’re ready.