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We often assume that when it comes to our young ones’ teeth, it is not until the milk teeth start giving way to adult teeth that we really need to bother with visiting the dentist. New research, however, indicates that this is far from the case – and it’s costing toddlers dearly.

Soaring figures

Despite parents being advised to take their toddlers to the dentist as early as possible, even if just to get them used to the experience, the true figures may well surprise you. Even with free dental care available to all children under the NHS, it appears that over 80% of one to two year olds in England did not visit a dentist in the last year.

One of the main causes was found to be parents simply not knowing when was the right time to bring their child for a first visit, which was ultimately put down to a widespread misunderstanding of the entire process of teething. The researchers did admit that it wasn’t just parents to blame either – there was also confusion in the messages being given by the NHS.

Early extractions

The cost of this delay in taking toddlers to the dentist is a huge rise in children needing to have their teeth removed in hospital – often before the age of one. Not only does this put pressure on the NHS, but costs dearly in terms of the stress that such experiences can put a child through.

Latest figures published by the Royal College of Surgeons show that there were 9,220 cases of tooth extractions performed in hospitals in England on children aged one to four – which comes out at a 24 per cent rise in a decade.

In 48 of the cases reported, infants were less than a year old.

The research also indicated tooth decay was the main cause of extractions – which translates as 90 per cent of cases being preventable through good oral hygiene.

Start out right

The key to ensuring that your young ones don’t add to the statistics is simple – get them to the dentist as soon as you can, ideally as soon as the first teeth appear in the mouth.

Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at The Royal College of Surgeons, said: “The earlier a child visits the dentist, the earlier any potential problems can be picked up, so it is easier to prevent children having to go through the trauma of having their teeth removed under a general anaesthetic.”

It is important to get children “comfortable in a dental environment” as early as possible, to avoid them becoming frightened of going to the dentist.

In addition, ensuring that as a family you adopt tooth friendly practices such as supervised brushing twice a day, relatively low sugar diets and avoiding sugary snacks, especially between meals will all help to offset early decay. Finally, follow your dentist’s advice with regard to the frequency of visits, which for a toddler may vary between three to six months.

At the award winning Sharoe Green Dental Practice in Preston, we specialise in providing preventative dental care for all the family, whatever your age. Join us now to become a member and enjoy being looked after by our friendly and experienced team. For more information or to book an appointment, call now on 01772 718753 or click here to contact us online.

Based on an article published in the Telegraph online, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/08/toddlers-having-teeth-parents-wont-take-dentist/