We recommend visits with your dentist every six months. It is very important to have those regular visits in tandem with your orthodontic treatments to maintain your dental health. We also recommend that for any dental emergency, you contact your dentist for treatment. These emergencies could include a permanent or baby tooth being knocked out, a toothache or a broken or chipped tooth.
Here is some dental health and orthodontia information that may be helpful for you to learn about.
PRIMARY TEETH
There are 20 primary or baby teeth. Each child’s teeth erupt at a different age. Some come in sooner and some later, so parents should not be alarmed if their child’s teeth erupt at a different age or a different sequence than listed below.
The first teeth to erupt are the lower central incisors which usually appear around six months of age. The last primary teeth to erupt are the second molars, which generally erupt at approximately 2 years of age.
Usually, girls’ teeth erupt somewhat earlier than boys’ teeth and lower teeth tend to erupt earlier than the corresponding upper teeth.
Primary teeth serve several purposes:
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- They are essential for nutritional intake and proper mastication (chewing)
- They aid your child in speech development as teeth aid in forming correct sounds
- They act as space maintainers for the permanent teeth which will not begin erupting until about the age of 6
PERMANENT TEETH
Including wisdom teeth, the adult mouth contains 32 teeth. Permanent teeth generally erupt following the same sequence as baby teeth. Commonly, if a child’s primary teeth erupted at an early age, his permanent teeth will do likewise. The converse also appears to be true.
Permanent teeth begin their eruption pattern between the ages of 6 and 8.
The permanent teeth, if well maintained and taken care of properly are meant to last a lifetime.
Mouthguards
If your child participates in any recreational sport where there may be contact, we recommend having your child wear a form fitted mouthguard which may be fabricated at our office. Mouthguards help prevent injury to the teeth and may protect against head and neck injuries by cushioning blows that might otherwise cause concussions or lead to jaw fractures.
FLOSSING
Dental Floss is the finest tool we have to clean between teeth. Toothbrushes cannot reach between the tight contacts of a child’s back teeth. We, therefore, recommend that parents floss between their children’s teeth. By the age of 10, children are generally able to floss by themselves.
Flossing Wands
To ease the flossing procedure, there have been several innovative tools that have been invented. Among the easiest to use are the different varieties of flossing wands.
How to Floss
Use an adequate amount of floss – generally between 15 – 18 inches.
Guide the floss gently between the teeth and see-saw through the contact.
Once it is through the contact, gently slide the floss along the sides of both teeth.
When flossing goes in a predictable order, it makes the process a bit simpler. For example, start on the upper right, go entirely around the upper arch and then move to the bottom and go in order on that arch as well.
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