We strive to be the best children’s dentist office in Las Vegas at Anthem Pediatric Dentistry. With two convenient locations in Henderson and Charleston, a commitment to patient-centered, compassionate dental care for children, and a wealth of experience in dental cleanings, orthodontics, and pediatric dentistry more generally, we do our best to provide high-quality care for children and adolescents.
As a reminder, here’s a brief explanation of each of our pediatric dental services we are proud to offer in Las Vegas:
- Pediatric Dentistry – We have six pediatric dentists, one general dentist, and one orthodontist on staff, and all of them are experienced and educated in working with children to help them feel comfortable while receiving treatment. Our board-certified pediatric dentists, Drs. Cox and Ellsworth, are exemplars of their field, having successfully completed voluntary examinations and demonstrated specialized knowledge and skill.
- Pediatric Orthodontics – Our pediatric orthodontic care includes the traditional metal and ceramic installation of braces, self-ligating braces, Invisalign® for kids, and dentofacial orthopedics. Remember, we have our very own in-house orthodontist at our Las Vegas children’s dentistry!
- Dental Cleanings – Our dental cleaning for children includes cleaning the teeth by removing any and all plaque or tartar, flossing and polishing their teeth, and examining the teeth for signs of disease or other disconcerting conditions.
- Pediatric Sedation Dentistry – Known as “laughing gas” to some, nitrous oxide is a simple treatment which helps children who have mild or moderate anxiety about their dental work. Our offerings also include oral conscious sedation and general anesthesia, although we’d warrant that these options are explored once more traditional attempts to calm have been exhausted.
Teach Your Child To Brush Their Teeth Correctly
Now that we’ve reminded our lovely readers about our pediatric dental services on offer at Anthem Pediatric Dentistry, it’s high time we get to the aforementioned daily oral health tips you can convey to your children. Doing so will help ensure they establish healthy habits, leaving them in good stead later down the road in life.
Below you’ll find five keys to helping your child brush properly.
Get The Proper Equipment
No matter how well you brush, you aren’t going to get very far without the right equipment. For starters, you want to make sure you always use a fresh, soft-bristled toothbrush that is both firm and comfortable to the touch. If you want to go the extra mile, you can use an electric-powered toothbrush, which is more effective in getting rid of plaque when used correctly. Also, make sure your little ones use fluoride toothpaste.
Brush Your Teeth At Least Twice Per Day
No exceptions, parents. You want your children to understand the importance of oral health from a young age, and one of the best ways you can accomplish that is to instill consistency in their psyche. Now, brushing twice a day is the minimum number of times you should be brushing your teeth in a given day. Ideally, your kids would be able to brush after each meal (and sugary snack), but we understand you exist in reality and your life doesn’t revolve around oral health — like ours do!
That being said, it’s crucial for your child to not only brush frequently, but brush thoroughly as well. It’s easy for children to want to rush through the process, so be sure to watch your young children closely when they are still learning — it’s much easier to teach them properly the first time than to have them unlearn a bad habit later on. Finally, make sure your children don’t have anything particularly sugary or acidic right before they brush their teeth.
Use Proper Brushing Technique
This point is worth diving into in more detail because there are so many people, young and old, who fail to employ correct teeth brushing technique. And yes, you might be among them, and we are sure you have the best intentions, but it’s still something that needs to be amended.
So, when teaching your child (or yourself) how to brush correctly, start with the holding of the toothbrush. Hold it at a slight angle, aiming the bristles at the surface area of the tooth that you are targeting. Most people get the above right, but where they fail has to do with the amount of pressure applied. When it’s too much, the tips of the bristles no longer scrape the tooth. Instead, they aren’t bent in different directions, leading to the length-wise portion of the bristles contacting the teeth.
This is why it’s vital to be gentle — more gentle than you’d think — when brushing your teeth. It might feel strange, but applying minimal pressure when brushing is the ticket for removing more plaque than you’ve been getting for who knows how long!
Keep Your Equipment Clean
Another significant element of an effective routine is to keep your toothbrush clean. They might already have this part down, but it’s a good idea to reiterate the importance nonetheless. Make sure they rinse their toothbrush with water after each brushing, being careful to rinse it off from multiple angles. Toothpaste is sticky, if you didn’t already know, so it’s key to let the water pass through the bristles from a variety of angles to get it as clean as possible. As a bonus tip, make sure you don’t cover your toothbrush when storing it; doing so can contribute to the growth of bacteria, mold, and yeast. Instead, store it in an upright position so it can dry.
Replace Your Toothbrush Often
Swap out your toothbrush for a brand-new one about four times a year, or once every three months, or once a season. Whichever metric you prefer, make sure you do it frequently because frayed bristles will severely limit your brush’s effectiveness. If you use a battery-operated toothbrush, replace your head the moment you notice the bristles have started to branch off in different directions.
Choose Las Vegas’ Best
We hope that you’ve found this blog post both useful and interesting. We also hope that, if you are in the market for a Las Vegas children’s dentist, you consider Anthem Pediatric Dentistry among your options.
Between our facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, and genuinely good people on staff, we believe we are well on our way to providing the best pediatric dental services you will find. We will always seek to improve how we provide dental care, working on progressing through compassion, communication, and continuing education of the most innovative techniques and procedures.
For the best in Las Vegas, choose Anthem Pediatric Dentistry. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you are looking for affordable, reliable dental care for your children and teenagers in Las Vegas. We’d love to hear from you, so schedule an appointment with us today!