HARRISBURG, Pa. - February is National Children's Dental Health Month and a good time to reinforce to your kids the importance of taking care of their teeth.
Dentist Riley Parker says that from a parent's perspective the goal is to get kids to his office before they experience their first toothache.
"Parents are pretty good at picking up on when a child has a toothache, and getting them in and getting it taken care of. But it's the preventive care that is the real issue, you know, getting them in for sealants, getting them in for X-rays."
Parker says parents should start thinking about dental care for their kids when they start relying less on a bottle for feeding.
"I really prefer to start seeing them right about the time a baby starts eating solid foods, because the studies say that's the transition where tooth decay really starts happening."
The Pennsylvania Dental Association says tooth decay affects one in four children ages two to five, and half of kids ages 12 to 15. It is the most common chronic disease in children, five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.
The American Dental Association. has National Children's Dental Health Month information online atwww.ada.org
Dentist Riley Parker says that from a parent's perspective the goal is to get kids to his office before they experience their first toothache.
"Parents are pretty good at picking up on when a child has a toothache, and getting them in and getting it taken care of. But it's the preventive care that is the real issue, you know, getting them in for sealants, getting them in for X-rays."
Parker says parents should start thinking about dental care for their kids when they start relying less on a bottle for feeding.
"I really prefer to start seeing them right about the time a baby starts eating solid foods, because the studies say that's the transition where tooth decay really starts happening."
The Pennsylvania Dental Association says tooth decay affects one in four children ages two to five, and half of kids ages 12 to 15. It is the most common chronic disease in children, five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.
The American Dental Association. has National Children's Dental Health Month information online atwww.ada.org
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