Although the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that children seen the dentist either within 6 months of their first tooth breaking through their gums, or by age 1, you might not see the importance in caring for your child's baby teeth.  You may feel like since they are going to fall out anyway, all you really need to do is basic teeth brushing at home.  However, if you believe this is true, you could be mistaken.  Learning more about the importance of making sure that your little ones see a pediatric dentist can help you determine if you should make an appointment today.

Good (And, Bad) Habits Start Early

One of the most compelling reasons why you want to take your child to the dentist on schedule is because it builds up a healthy habit that they may carry throughout their entire life.  You want your child to understand the importance of caring for their dental health so that even when they are no longer in your care, they will continue to maintain their teeth and gums.

In addition, helping your child become comfortable with the dentist is also vital because you don't want them to develop fears or anxieties surrounding the dentist.  Approximately nine to fifteen percent of Americans avoid the dentist simply because they're afraid to go.  If you don't normalize dental visits, your child may join these ranks and start doing everything in their power to avoid the dentist.

Help your child see that the dentist is a friendly person who only wants to make sure that they have the healthiest teeth possible.  This can go a long way toward alleviating fears and starting a lifelong, healthy habit.

Forced Extraction Is A Possibility

Another reason why you should take your child to the dentist regularly is because there could be an issue going on behind the scenes that you aren't aware of.  For example, your child's permanent teeth may be trying to push through the gums, but could be blocked by baby teeth that haven't fallen out when they were supposed to.  The pressure could affect the permanent tooth's placement, and cause them to come in crookedly when they didn't have to.

The pediatric dentist will know when baby teeth should have evacuated your child's mouth.  If the tooth is late, the dentist can do a forced extraction so the permanent tooth can gain residency of the position.

Taking your child to the dentist is one way for you to show just how much you care. Contact a pediatric dentist today so you can enjoy these great benefits of doing so.