Early Treatments Your Child May Need

Posted on March 29, 2022

Your child’s early development is arguably the most important time of their lives for you to emphasize their health and growth. This includes their dental development! Even the youngest of children may have severe or detrimental issues with the growth and health of their teeth, and treating those issues as soon as possible can make the treatment last their lifetime without the pain and frustration of treatments in their young-adult to adult lives.

How do I know if my child needs early treatment?

It’s important to know the signs that indicate the need for treatment in your child, especially if your visits to the dentist are few and far between during the first years of their lives. Some things to take note of: if your child is showing difficulty chewing and swallowing their food, it may be an early indicator of misalignment in the teeth and jaw that needs to be corrected in order for them to eat and speak normally. Grinding their teeth (day or night), sucking on thumbs, premature loss of baby teeth or any irregular alignment in the growth of teeth are all good reasons to make an appointment with the dentist, and potentially solve an issue before it even becomes one!

How are procedures tailored to young children?

As your child’s teeth and mouth are still in developing stages, treatments are (thankfully) shorter than for adults. The procedures and treatments themselves are also often simpler for children, as they do not have years of wear and old problems with their teeth to worry about during surgery or treatment! If you utilize the services of an orthodontist, their clinic (and their training) should be outfitted to make your child comfortable, and make the procedure painless.

How can I make their experience a good one?

The biggest way you can help your child is by remaining positive when talking about the procedure, and talking them through the process so that they feel in control of the situation and confident in its successful realization and outcome. Encourage them to ask questions of you, the dentist or orthodontist, so that their concerns are addressed. Walk them through the steps of the procedure, and come up with a positive post-operation recovery plan so that they have some sense of motivation to get through the process well.

Go to MI Smile Journey with your questions on what kinds of early treatments your child may need, and how our clinic can reliably provide you with those services. Explore our website today for more information on our business and its determination to provide the best care for you!