{"id":403,"date":"2022-06-20T09:42:18","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T07:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/?p=403"},"modified":"2022-06-21T09:33:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T07:33:06","slug":"when-should-children-go-to-the-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/when-should-children-go-to-the-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"When Should Children Go to the Dentist?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"403\" class=\"elementor elementor-403\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8339052 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8339052\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-58901e0\" data-id=\"58901e0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ffa627 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2ffa627\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Children can have their first dentist appointment from the age of two years. But, that does not mean you should assume that babies and toddlers do not need any sort of dental care. You can start preparing your child for their first visit from a very early age, while also doing your part to keep your little one&#8217;s teeth in good health from birth.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Your babies teeth can be cleaned from the age of six months, once the first teeth appear. Use a cotton bud or cotton wool to gently wipe the teeth. You can also use a specially designed infant toothbrush that has extra soft bristles. Make the routine fun \u2013 let your child see mom and dad brushing their teeth and help them with brushing until they are old enough to do it themselves.<\/span><\/p><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Do not ever let your child fall asleep with sweetened drinks or fruit juice in a bottle. This can cause nursing caries. Always ask your doctor about the effect that medications may have on your child&#8217;s teeth. Some chemicals may increase the risk of caries. Fluoride supplements that are designed for small children may be advised by your dentists.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9d62ffa elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9d62ffa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b7568a9\" data-id=\"b7568a9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9988816 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9988816\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/kids-first-dental-visit.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-213\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/kids-first-dental-visit.jpg 960w, https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/kids-first-dental-visit-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/kids-first-dental-visit-768x508.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a36c18 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3a36c18\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4c0445f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4c0445f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9b046f0\" data-id=\"9b046f0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cb593 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cb593\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Planning Your Child's First Dentist Appointment\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cf1f14c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cf1f14c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8d07f15\" data-id=\"8d07f15\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a89685d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a89685d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Dental visits do not have to be traumatic, if you make the experience relaxing and fun. You can start preparing your child from a very early age, well before the child\u2019s first dental appointment. Some tips to keep in mind include the following:<\/span><\/p><ul class=\"ul1\"><li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s1\"><b>Play pretend dentist with your child<\/b> so that they have an idea of what to expect. Use toys and dolls or dress-up to recreate a simple appointment. Your child will feel a lot more comfortable when the time comes for their appointment if they have a basic idea of what a dentist does and why they need to have their teeth checked regularly.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul class=\"ul1\"><li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s1\"><b>Take your child with you to your appointment<\/b>. This will take away some of the initial anxiety and uncertainty by showing the child that his or her parents go on a regular basis. The dentist will make the child feel welcome while watching your appointment. Obviously, this applies to routine check-ups. It may not be wise to have your child watch a root canal treatment or an intense surgical procedure.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul class=\"ul1\"><li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s1\"><b>Don&#8217;t overload your child with information<\/b> at an early age. Use age-appropriate terms and keep the information simple. It&#8217;s also a good idea to avoid warning or bribing your child to try and prepare them for potential injections. This can end up causing more panic, as the child will fear the worst.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul class=\"ul1\"><li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s1\"><b>Make sure that you are calm<\/b> \u2013 even if you dislike dentists. Many adults feel anxious when going to the dentist. Your child will quickly pick up on your tension, so be extra careful to stay calm during your child&#8217;s trip to the dentist. Treating the appointment as a routine matter and nothing to feel concerned about will help your child feel comfortable.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As an experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/contact-us\/\"><span class=\"s2\">child-friendly dentist in Durban<\/span><\/a>, Gateway Dental has patients of all ages. We work hard to ensure that both you and your child have a pleasant, calm experience at all times. From advanced strategies aimed at creating a calm experience to a team of highly trained dental experts, we focus on pediatric dentistry.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Children can have their first dentist appointment from the age of two years. But, that does not mean you should assume that babies and toddlers do not need any sort of dental care. You can start preparing your child for their first visit from a very early age, while also doing your part to keep [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":550,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions\/550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gatewaydental.co.za\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}