National Children's Dental Health Month

My popular demand I have decided to offer some free dental advice for your kids. Here are some of the common questions I get from parents.When should my child first see the dentist?

The recommended time is within 6 months of the first tooth erupting or by 1 year old.
Why so early?

So we can keep you from making any early mistakes. J/K Too make sure the parents know how to care for the teeth, diet habits, catch any problems early, basically to educate the parents and to acclimate the children to the happy world of dentistry. (Imagine how much easier it would be to fix a cavity on a 3 year old who knows you and has already been to the office 3 or 4 times for happy things, rather than have to do a filling at the first visit. Much easier.)
When should I start flossing my child's teeth?

Now! Well, as soon as he has two teeth that are touching and the brush cannot go in between. I recommend the Reach Access Flosser. It's great! And yes you should floss them. And yes you should be brushing their teeth for them too, believe me you are only fooling yourself if you thing your kids are brushing adequately. (I'm sure some of them are but most are not.)
Fluoride?

Yes fluoride is safe and I support water fluoridation.

And one last question because I'm getting really angry with the dell tech support guy named Mithun! I hate talking to these people! (My blogging seems to keep being interrupted by my anger issues these days.)

Cavities is not as much based on how much candy/sugar/carbohydrates you/the child eats, rather on the frequency. Example, drinking a coke all at once is not too damaging to the tooth, but the same amount spread throughout the day will have a much more damaging effect on the teeth. So try to control and limit the amount of times the kids are snacking and drinking between meals and only let them/you drink water between meals.

Well, if you have any dental questions, let me have 'em!