babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
2 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make With Their Kids’ Teeth
Over on Yahoo! Shine, Jessica Ashley interviews Chicago’s favorite pediatric dentist, Dr. Grace Yum, about the two biggest mistakes parents are making regarding their kids oral health (only two?). Dr. Yum also answers five common questions we have about kids, brushing, straight teeth and dentists.
On to the mistakes!
The first big one is waiting too long to take the kid to the dentist. Dr. Yum says kids should see the dentist by, get this, age 1 or when they get their first tooth — whichever is sooner. Sooner?
My oldest and youngest both got their first tooth at 4 months. My middle daughter got hers around 6 months. Not that I’m doubting the good doctor, but I think I’m comfortable with my mistake in this regard.
The second one, though, I agree with.
She says parents make the mistake of taking the kids to a dentist that doesn’t specialize in pediatric dentistry. They’ve had spcialized training that the family dentist didn’t get. Fewer than 3 percent of all dentists are pediatric dentists, so finding one could be challenging. Plus, someone should notify the HMO. Ours only lets us go to a pediatric dentist on referral and our dentist isn’t too keen on sending business elsewhere.
Go here to get answers to common questions about kids and good tooth health, like when to start worrying about braces, whether to floss a 3-year-old and if it’s OK to give the kids adult toothpaste.
Anyone out there take their infant to a dentist? What was it like?
More Posts
Is It Sometimes Wrong to Keep Preemies Alive?
Two Similar Hospitals, Two Vastly Different C-Section Rates
Raising Rich Kids: 5 Easy Steps
No More Games, Let’s Just Ban Ads to Kids
How ‘Isabella’ Swept the Nation (It Wasn’t Twilight!)
Forcing Parents to Volunteer at School
Blogger’s Son Survives; Now a New Reality
Did ‘Babies’ Filmmaker Break the Law?
10 Best, 10 Worst Cities for Moms
Girl Catches Disney’s Grammar Error
The Right Age to Start Kindergarten
Swedish Docs Stop Circumcisions
When Dad-to-Be Thinks Birth is Nasty
Banned! No More Happy Meals Toys in Silicon Valley
Beginning of the End of Happy Meals
One Year After H1N1 Panic, a Mother Lives With Regret
Photo: UptownPediatricDentistry.com
Go Back To Strollerderby
0 Comments
[...] 2 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make with Their Kids’ Teeth [...]
Mom who dropped kids at mall lived criminal 'justice' hell | Strollerderby commented on May 14 10 at 1:59 pmJessica Ashley commented on May 13 10 at 11:16 pmThanks for the shout out. Also, I am totally judging you right now for denying your clearly abnormally early teethers adequate fluoride and toys from the prize box.
Rosana commented on May 14 10 at 8:55 amI waited until my son turned one, to take him to a pediatric dentist for the first time and I am going to do the same with my daughter.
KellyK commented on May 14 10 at 11:49 amMy childs first tooth was at 6 months. I thought that was normal. He is 2.5 now and has not been to the dentist. I am putting him on my dental plan at work in July and he will have his first trip shortly there after.
ChicaDificil commented on May 14 10 at 1:31 pmCall me ignorant but those baby teeth are all going to fall out anyway. I am not saying neglect those baby teeth–my two-year old gets her teeth brushed twice a day. But for that reason I also don’t go crazy ensuring that my two year old’s dental care is perfect.
Nicole commented on May 15 10 at 5:55 pmMy daughter is a late teether. She is now 2 years old and 3 months and We are still waiting on 6 more teeth. She is going through a phase where she is scared of everything, im not about to put her through that over baby teeth. We brush her teeth (well what she has) 2 times a day. Good enough I think.
Amber commented on May 18 10 at 1:58 pmI called a pediatric dentist when deciding whether or not to put my new daughter on our dental insurance plan, and he said they don’t see babies until they are 2 or 3 years old, regardless of when they get their teeth. Even then, the first visits aren’t really about action–they’re just about getting the baby comfortable with a stranger looking into their mouth. Maybe Dr. Yum just wants more patients . . . ?
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0