Last week we added diet, taking care of any missing teeth, restorations, and orthodontics to your back-to-school dental checklist. This week is our final installment in the series, and we're going to wrap it up by sharing some thoughts on ongoing protection, cosmetic dentistry, and probably one of the most important back-to-school reminders you'll get this year.
Mouth Guards
The need for ongoing mouth protection is especially important if you're the parent of a student athlete. Many dentists recommend and/or can make custom mouth guards your child can wear to protect teeth, tongue, and gums from trauma. Many dentists can even make them in your child's team colors or with other cool patterns and designs. When you're gathering your knee pads, helmets, and elbow pads, don't forget safety equipment for your mouth. Many unfortunate facial injuries can be mitigated with simple athletic mouth guard.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Your child's self-esteem is important to his or her development. Take a moment at the beginning of the school year to ask if there is anything bothering your child about their smile. Unfortunately, minor issues sometimes become a target for bullies. Cosmetic dentistry allows us to offer many easy, painless solutions if your child expresses concerns about their smile. Many cosmetic dentistry treatments offer benefits beyond helping your child feel their best; Invisalign Teen, for example, can also make your teen's teeth easier to clean when brushing and flossing.
Next Appointment Scheduled
Your calendar is about to fill up fast! One of the most important reminders we hope you'll add to your checklist is making sure you have your children's next dental appointment scheduled. We cannot express how critical these years are to their development. Ensure issues are dealt with before they become big, expensive problems, keep your children's teeth healthy with regular cleaning, and make sure they're getting regular dental examinations.
Thanks for Reading!
That's it! We hope we've helped you take a good assessment of your children's oral health early in the school year. The items we've written about over the last three weeks cover a lot of important areas to pay special attention to. If you enjoy our blog, please like or share our Facebook page.