Every child is unique, and so are their teeth! They are one of a kind, and should last a lifetime. And they can, with good preventative care.
Just as you teach your children to walk, it is important to teach them to take care of their teeth until they are old enough to do it on their own. Dental problems uncovered in childhood are usually easier and ultimately less expensive to treat with early discovery. That’s just one reason that the Canadian Dental Association recommends starting visits to a dentist early and continuing them regularly throughout your child’s growing years.
Want more information? Read this blog: Encouraging Good Dental Habits In Children https://sbis.ca/encouraging-good-dental-care-habits-in-children.html
The risk: ECTD
If you don’t start a child’s professional dental care soon enough, he or she may experience Early Childhood Tooth Decay (ECTD). The good news is that it is preventable, and the bad news is that, unchecked, it can lead to these health problems:
- infections
- pain that makes it difficult to eat enough (and can affect growth)
- difficulty sleeping (which can impact behaviour)
- difficulty learning to speak
- trouble learning or concentrating because of pain.
Pulling baby teeth early is not the answer
If ECTD isn’t in check, your child may have problems with their baby teeth. Don’t be fooled into thinking that those baby teeth are ‘disposable,’ and only adult teeth are important to maintain.
Pulling baby teeth too early causes problems with
- chewing food
- speaking
- crooked adult teeth
- self-esteem.
Regular dental check-ups are the answer
From wiping and cleaning baby’s gums with a cloth after they are born, to brushing twice a day as soon as that first tooth appears, you are busy doing your part to care for your child’s teeth.
But regular dental check-ups play an important part in oral health care. Your dentist can monitor your child’s teeth and identify problems that you can’t see, such as a tiny crack in the tooth that could grow and require hundreds of dollars’ worth of treatment.
You can consult with your dental professional for guidance about the risks your child faces for ECTD.
How Does Dental Insurance Help?
Dental insurance is there to help offset the cost of your child’s oral care. A regular check-up can cost hundreds of dollars, but with insurance you would only be paying a small portion of the total.
It’s also a great way to keep track of how often you need to see a dentist. You can schedule your appointments according to what your dental plan dictates.
One thing to keep in mind is that your dental insurance plan will have a yearly maximum. By monitoring your child’s oral health regularly, your costs will likely stay well within that maximum.
Without regular dental check-ups, ECTD can get so serious that a child may need to have dental surgery to have damaged teeth taken out or repaired, sometimes even in the hospital and under anaesthetic.
Orthodontic services may or may not be covered under your dental insurance. For those with growing families, it is a good feature to consider to offset the high costs of specialized dental care.
Keep your family smiling
The best thing you can do for a child’s oral health is to get dental insurance and schedule visits based on the dentist’s recommendations. Talk to us today about your dental insurance coverage needs. We will work with you to find the best possible coverage within your budget for your healthcare needs.
