Dental
details Answers to questions about your
child’s oral health
BY LINDSAY C. VANASDALAN
26 Washington FAMILY FEBRUARY 2022



W
e all know that feeling: Uh-oh, my child has a cavity. Was it too much
candy? Not enough time spent brushing? Should we have come in
sooner for a checkup?
Preventive care is always the goal with any dental visit, but many questions
abound. What age should my child first come to the dentist? What measures
can I take to ensure that first visit doesn’t have any unfriendly surprises?
We polled dental professionals from across the mid-Atlantic region to
address common questions in pediatric oral care.

DR. MICHAEL
VIRTS, DDS
Mount Airy
Children’s Dental
Associates Frederick County,
Maryland What causes cavities in children’s baby teeth?
Bacteria causes cavities. The bacteria eat the
sugar that is left on the teeth after eating
or drinking, then create acid, and the acid
erodes the teeth, making a cavity. Cavities
are caused by a combination of bacteria and a
carbohydrate source.

If the bacteria were left on the teeth by
not properly brushing or flossing, cavities
can develop. And a proper diet low in
carbohydrates is almost just as important as
brushing and flossing to prevent cavities as
well as seeing the dentist by the time your
baby is 12 months old.

WOWWA/ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
When should children get their first oral
health exam?
Children should see a dentist no later than
12 months of age or when the first tooth
appears in the mouth—whatever comes
first. For example, if a 6-month-old baby gets
a tooth in, then it’s time to see the dentist.

Unfortunately, many children end up seeing
a dentist for cavities for their first visit
instead of seeing a dentist preventively at
any early age. Cavities are a very preventable
but common disease of childhood. Dental
illness accounts for millions of school hours
lost each year.

DR. MARIA
CORDERO- RICARDO, DMD,
MS, MPH
Philadelphia Pediatric Dentistry
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
When are children old enough to brush
their teeth on their own?
I use a helpful benchmark of when children
can tie their shoes or cut food with a fork and
a knife. That’s a good benchmark of manual
DR. TRACY BOWDEN, DDS
Kids First Pediatric Dentistry
Baltimore County, Maryland
What’s the best way for children to protect their
teeth from injury due to sports and injuries?
Many parents bring their children in with mouth
injuries from sports, so custom mouthguards or
mouthguards that you can buy over the counter
dexterity. Until then, it’s great to let them are pretty good. That’s probably one of the best
practice by doing it first and having a grown-up ways to not have mouth injuries, of course, and
go over it (with them). Some kids are ready also to prevent concussions. Sixty percent of
around age 6. Some kids need a little more concussions are supposedly from that fall where
help until age 8 because we all develop at you hit your chin.

(Also it’s) just wearing mouthguards in
different rates.

sports where children normally don’t. Kids
in soccer don’t usually wear mouthguards.

What’s the best way to encourage children to
They don’t wear them in basketball, and
brush their teeth correctly and regularly?
Children learn best from modeling of that’s where we see all the injuries.

behaviors. Make sure to include them in
your own family’s routines and rhythms.

DR. PETER
The littlest children see you brushing, the
MARKOV, DMD
older children in the house—or if you have
VK Pediatric
just one child—brushing side by side and
Dentistry making it part of a happy routine before bed
Arlington, Virginia
and sometime in the morning after breakfast
is ideal. But I like making it part of family
routines because children learn from what How effective is toothpaste containing
the grown-ups do.

fluoride for kids?
Fluoride in kids’ toothpaste is one of the
most effective and important ingredients to
DR. DAVID R.

ROSS, DDS, MS look for! In general, as soon as a child has
teeth, we want to make sure there’s fluoride
Orthodontist in their toothpaste.

Baltimore County,
Fluoride helps in a variety of ways, but most
Maryland importantly, fluoride helps strengthen the teeth
so they are more resistant to cavities. This
(fluoride) is especially important for kids as their
When should parents consider orthodontic
teeth, and their hygiene habits, are still develop-
treatment for their children?
The best time to take your child to an ing. For kiddos who can’t spit out the toothpaste
orthodontist for an evaluation is when they’re yet, aim for a grain-of-rice-sized smear of tooth-
around 7 years old. Why 7? Well, by the time paste on the brush. For older kiddos, a pea-sized
your kiddo is 7, they’ll have lost several baby amount is adequate for protection.

teeth already and an orthodontist can look at
their smile and see if any potential issues may At what age should parents consider sealants
be popping up. Not only that, the American for their children’s teeth?
Association of Orthodontists recommends Sealants are very effective at preventing cavities
that all children see an orthodontist by the on the smooth biting surface of teeth. Although
some children receive sealants on baby teeth,
time they’re 7.

During your child’s first visit, most children typically the first teeth to be sealed are the perma-
find out that they don’t need early intervention nent molars which start coming in around age 6.

Permanent molars have deep grooves that
and are monitored every few months to make
sure their teeth are coming in correctly. If can be difficult to fully clean, even for the most
it turns out that your child does need early diligent of brushers. Adding a sealant to these
intervention, this allows an orthodontist to teeth is a relatively easy process and can go a long
guide your child’s teeth and jaw development way to protect the teeth and prevent cavities
while their mouth is still growing, greatly in the future. Some studies show up to a 50%
reducing the need for tooth extractions or reduction in cavities on sealed teeth! A benefit of
surgery later. David Ross Orthodontics offers a sealant compared to a filling is that it requires
free orthodontic evaluations for children ages no drilling or numbing and is a very conservative
option that offers great protection. n
7 and older.

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