My Baby and the Dentist - Do Baby Teeth Need Brushing?
Channel: DrLongVo
Date: 2012-01-20

http://SmileCentre.com/category/2x4-early-prevention/

Charlie: Checking here with a child that has already been born: Do baby teeth need to be brushed?

Dr. Long: Absolutely.

Charlie: I don't remember doing that, of course I did.

Dr. Long: Yes.

Charlie: I remember being taught that. Those are the days we would turn the water on and mom and dad would leave it on forever and just let the toothpaste go there. Well we conserve a little better than that now. Baby teeth need to be brushed.

Dr. Long: Yes so even though they will fall out, baby teeth serve a lot of functions. The number one being that it's important to the nutrition. So if baby's teeth are not healthy then...

Charlie: They are not eating.

Dr. Long: They cannot eat with it. So that's number one. Number two is because the teeth are there it does help with the development of the bone, of the jaw bone. And if we lose the teeth too early then the jaw bone will not develop. It may not be important in the sense of the baby teeth themselves but to the adult teeth. The baby teeth prepare the arch, prepare the bone.

Charlie: What's going on around here, so then the shape...?

Dr. Long: Yes. It's really preparing it for the adult teeth that are coming in. For phonetics, for speaking as well so if a tooth is missing or many teeth are missing, we may have some speech issues and there are self esteem issues as well. Believe it or not, kids do have self esteem issues.

Charlie: Oh yeah.

Dr. Long: If a child has a lot of cavities they may not smile as much they may not smile in pictures and stuff like that and they may feel they are somehow different and it does affect the development of the child.

Charlie: You have a terrific video on your website smilecenter.com of your daughter brushing her teeth. 

Dr. Long: Yes.

Charlie: It's really precious. If you haven't seen that one you have to go see that one. Yes we have to make sure these baby teeth are brushed.

Dr. Long: Yes.

Dr. Marc: Dr. Julie we're talking about baby teeth but clearly there's money in these teeth, you have to protect them because otherwise how are you going to trade them with the tooth fairy to get paid? But clearly there are more serious reasons than that.

Dr. Julie: Yes. You want to start good oral hygiene habits early on. Kids strive in routine so you start very early on they won't remember but as they get older they'll always remember oral hygiene being a part of their routine and you want to install it very early on so that they can carry on in life having that in mind.

Dr. Marc: That's great, so in a way these are almost like practice teeth. You want to really get good at practicing and taking care of these because those are the habits that are going to help you with the ones you have to keep for a long time.

Dr. Julie: Parents need to practice also to brush the baby's teeth because we're used to it. When you have a baby for the first time it's almost scary what you have to do with the teeth, how to brush them. Do it very early on...

Dr. Marc: And you recommend coming in with those first two teeth have kind of erupted and that's the time to really jump in there and start caring for these teeth, right?

Dr. Julie: Yes, definitely and it's easier to brush two teeth than more.

Dr. Marc: Good point. Yes, practice with two before you have a whole mouth full.
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There is WAY more interview on SmileCentre.com
Dr. Long Vo and Dr. Julie Dao are the heart and soul of Smile Centre Dental in Burlington, Ontario. If you have questions about your child's dental health, call for an appointment today: 905.332.0330      


This video has one question and answer by Dr. Long Vo and Dr. Julie Dao when interviewed by Dr. Marc Kossmann and Charlie Seymour Jr of DentalTopDocLegends.com. Find more of the interview at http://SmileCentre.com/category/2x4-early-prevention/

To get YOUR questions answered or for a consultation or dental appointment, Burlington ON Dentist Dr. Long Vo can be reached at 905.332.0330

My Baby and the Dentist - Do Baby Teeth Need Brushing?

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