What You Should Know – Orthodontist and Orthopedics
Dr. Bushdid is a firm believer in early treatment. Therefore, we practice phase I and phase II orthodontics and orthopedics. If your young child has crowded teeth, noticeable gaps, or other malocclusions, then by treating these conditions sooner rather than later we can redirect oral development, making future treatment shorter and less difficult. Phase I care may promote better jaw development, reduce risks of future trauma and TMJ problems, improve speech and breathing and possibly even eliminate the need for braces in the future.
As children mature and their permanent teeth erupt, phase II treatment makes sure that every tooth from root to crown is in the right place. Crooked teeth, gaps, uneven bites, and much more can be corrected with braces and oral appliances. As with phase I, it’s best to start this phase as early as possible in order to better prevent TMJ disorder, tooth extraction, or even oral surgery later.
Dr. Bushdid and his team are dedicated to the health and beauty of your smile and the smile of everyone in your family. If you would like to learn more about children’s dentistry at Bushdid Smiles, then call our office in Coral Gables today to schedule an appointment.
Resources You Can Use at Home
In addition to visiting our kid friendly dentist office, it is important that you practice good oral hygiene at home and teach your child to do the same. In our dental office, we work with a lot of children under age eight and understand how challenging it can be to get them excited about brushing teeth. Kids are busy and asking them to stop riding bikes, building Legos, or playing dress up to brush their teeth can lead to conflict fairly quickly. We get it. At Bushdid Smiles, we can work with young children and are under no illusion that they are fascinated by oral health. Our job, however, is to change their opinion of dental care and show them that it can be fun and interesting. This way they will want to brush and floss their teeth, even without being told. With that in mind, we have a few resources that we have found to be helpful and suggest that you try them at home.
If you live in or around Coral Gables, we invite you to schedule an appointment with our dental office so that we can examine your child's teeth and teach them how to brush properly. Even if your child is already brushing, there is a good chance that they are doing it wrong and missing a lot of the plaque that has built up on their teeth. A simple video tutorial is a resource you can use at home. You can find one on the American Dental Association's website or even on YouTube. Playing a video that shows your child how to brush is a good reminder for them and, since they are used to receiving information this way, they are likely to receive and digest it better than if you reminded them.
Once your child is brushing correctly, it is time to turn your attention to how long they are brushing for. At Bushdid Smiles we encourage all of our patients to brush for two minutes, twice a day, regardless of how old they are. This, however, can be difficult for young children that find it hard to focus on a task or to stay still. As a kid friendly dentist, we want them to brush their teeth but staying still isn't a requirement. Try making it fun to brush teeth by playing their favorite song for two minutes and letting them dance and brush. You can also play a two-minute video clip or cartoon for them while brushing. The American Dental Association has an entire section of their website devoted to these short videos and watching them will get your child used to brushing for the full two minutes. We have worked with families throughout the Coral Gables area and have found that using media works far better than standing there with a stopwatch. The goal is to create positive associations between dental care and having fun so that your child will continue to brush their teeth as they grow.