Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentistry in Budd Lake

Dental care in Budd Lake is something that can be addressed very early on in a child’s life. The sooner you attend to it, the better the chances are that your son or daughter will have comfortable, healthy mouth. Here are a few of the common questions that some parents have about pediatric dentistry and how it can work for them.

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WHAT IS A 'DENTAL HOME'?

The Dental Home concept is the idea that parents establish a relationship between a child and a dentist very early on in life. This creates a sense of regularity, a necessary fixture in the child’s life, just other professionals a child sees on a regular basis. It’s important to establish early and get a child used to the idea that a visit to the dentist can simply be for a check-up, rather than meaning something is wrong with their teeth.

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WHEN SHOULD A CHILD SEE THE DENTIST?

This will vary with the individual child, but once you see the first tooth emerge, you should think about bringing the child in for his or her first examination. A child should not be brought to a dentist any later than his or her first birthday.

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WHAT IS TEETHING?

Teething is the process by which the baby teeth or “milk teeth” begin to emerge from the gums. There’s some variance here in when this occurs, with some children getting their first teeth as early as three months while others may not have it happen until they are a year old.

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ARE THERE ANY SIDE-EFFECTS OF TEETHING?

Teething is a relatively significant activity for a baby’s biology, so increased temperature, sleeplessness, irritability and increased drooling may all be noticed. A child may even lose his or her appetite due to the discomfort that comes from teeth emerging.

While it is normal for a child to experience some minor health problems while teething, fever, rash or diarrhea do not fall within the normal, healthy zone for symptoms. If your child is showing any of these while teething, bring him or her into the doctor for an examination.

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The early phases of your child’s dental development are important. Even though baby teeth aren’t permanent, they “set the stage” for the path that permanent teeth will follow. It is important to keep them healthy by ensuring your child sees a dentist early on, and becomes familiar with both professional dental care, and oral hygiene at home.  For more information about our pediatric dentistry services in Budd Lake contact our team at Gentle Family Dentistry today.