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Austin Children's Dentist | FAQs
Serving Austin and Round Rock, Texas
When and how should my child brush her teeth?
From the time her first tooth pops through her gums, you should start brushing. Just
use water on the toothbrush for children under 18 mos. Sometimes
during bathtime is an easy place to do it as some children are too
squirmy to just sit there and let you brush! You can let your child
hold the toothbrush and brush her teeth once a day, but I recommend
a parent do it once a day, too. Even a well intentioned child doesn’t
really have the dexterity to get around to all the surfaces on their
teeth the way you can. At about 5 or 6 years you can turn the job
over to them, but still with your supervision.
When should I take my child for his first dental visit and how
should I prepare him?
An early introduction to the dentist before he has any known problems
is the best way to learn to enjoy dental visits. The very early
appointments allow the dentist to do a brief evaluation of the patient
and oral health instructions for the parent. Usually by age two,
your child is ready for his first dental cleaning along with his
check-up. Let your child know what to expect (The dentist will count
your teeth and clean them with her special electric toothbrush,
you’ll get to go for a ride in her moving chair, etc.) Most
importantly, have a positive attitude. There is no reason to believe
that your child won’t enjoy his visit. Comments like “be
brave” or “if you’re good we ‘ll go out
for a treat after,” may seem helpful, but in fact may give
your child reason to believe he has something to dread. You may,
in fact, inadvertently make him fearful.
What is baby bottle tooth decay, and how can I prevent it?
Baby bottle tooth decay causes cavities on all the front teeth of
a young child. Milk and juice are very high in sugar content even
though they are natural sugars, they can cause cavities just the
same. Usually babies do fine as long as you don’t put them
to bed with a bottle of milk or juice. During the night the sugars
tend to soak on their teeth longer because they are half asleep
and suck a little and fall asleep, suck a little more and fall asleep,
leaving the juice or milk in their mouth for much longer than they
do when they are awake. Just feed your child his last bottle before
bed or during the night, but don’t let him keep it with him
in the crib, even if he doesn’t finish it all. Also plan to
have your child off the bottle by age one. Drinking from a cup is
much more efficient and doesn’t soak the teeth nearly as long.
Is juice bad for teeth?
A little juice is fine, but most dentists and pediatricians agree
that a toddler should only have about 6 oz of juice a day. Even
100% fruit juice is full of natural sugar – that’s why
it tastes so nice and sweet. If she’s thirsty, water is an
excellent choice, no sugar and packed with fluoride. Drinking too
much juice can give them empty calories and decrease their appetites
for nutritional foods or milk. If your child wants more than 1 or
2 glasses of juice a day, try diluting it 50/50 with water. He might
notice at first, but before long he won’t know the difference.
He can have twice as much juice and it’s cheaper too!
How important is fluoridated water and do water softeners take
out fluoride?
Fluoride in drinking water is the best thing to happen to teeth
since the toothbrush. Our generation has much better dental health
than our parents due largely to the prevention of decay through
fluoride. Austin, Round Rock, and Pflugerville all have the recommended
amount of fluoride in the drinking water. Water softeners do not
remove the fluoride, but water filters do! Many people prefer the
taste of filtered water, but you are losing out on your fluoride.
Try bottled drinking water with fluoride (they do exist –
Dannon and Ozarka both have one). Or at least make juice or drink
mixes using plain unfiltered tap water. If none of these will work
for you, talk to your dentist or pediatrician about fluoride supplements.
Powell & Tiller Dental Care - Advanced Gentle Dental Care
for All Ages in Austin and Round Rock, Texas
Trust Powell & Tiller Dental Care for expert family dentistry
in Austin and Round Rock. Request an
appointment online or call our office today.
Powell & Tiller Dental Care - Advanced Gentle Dental Care
for All Ages in Austin and Round Rock, Texas
Juli Powell, DDS & Ada Tiller, DDS, PC
13915 N. Mopac Expressway, Suite 110
(At the northeast corner of Wells Branch Pkwy and Mopac)
Austin, Texas 78728
Click here for driving directions.
(512) 218-1130
Email Us
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