Kids and the Dentist

Anonymous wrote:I have bought so many products to help my son who wears braces to floss. None are easy for him to use. I need to send him to some of your houses!

My dental hygiene was non existent as a child. Like a pp, I have suffered pain wise and financially. When my eldest popped his first tooth, I flossed that sucker. He'll need braces soon and knows how to floss but, if he has trouble, I'll floss his braced teeth for him. I never want my kids to suffer as I have. We all take dental care seriously. My kids floss daily and brish twice, more if needed. No fights, no slacking, no trouble. They don't want to end up like me.😓

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01/07/2023 17:17

Subject: Kids and the Dentist

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Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:Never floss, great teeth (no cavities). Seriously think it's genetics, and not flossing[/quote

For those of us with "bad" genetics, oral hygiene, including flossing, make all the difference in the world. Do you want to wait and see what type of genetics your kids have? Teach them proper oral care while they are young.

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01/07/2023 17:51

Subject: Kids and the Dentist

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Anonymous

My kids use the floss picks - I don’t love the extra plastic but it gets them to floss.

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01/08/2023 00:15

Subject: Re:Kids and the Dentist

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Anonymous

DH is a dentist and our kids only floss when a hygiene visit is getting close, I think..:and after the appt for awhile after being reprimanded lol. None of them have ever had a dental problem or a cavity. DH does nag and lecture them but it doesn’t stick for long.

Hygienists are just doing their jobs. Sounds fairly normal. There is always (always!) tons of candy, soda and other junk in the break room. For example. And their kids get cavities sometimes too.

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01/08/2023 02:34

Subject: Re:Kids and the Dentist

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Anonymous

Pediatric hygienist here- don’t switch to the regular dentist yet, your child still needs his 12 year old molars sealed and general dentists are bad about this. Make sure your pediatric office is checking and touching up existing sealants. Some people don’t floss and never get decay or periodontal disease- others aren’t so fortunate and have to be vigilant with hygiene.

If your child will need braces it is good that the hygienist is lecturing now. Poor hygiene and braces can cause the gums to be super inflamed and spread out over the teeth. Many orthodontists will remove braces if hygiene is so poor that enamel is demineralizing around brackets. I absolutely did floss my relcacitrant tween daughter’s teeth.

Buy disclosing tablets and if there is plaque stained red at gum line, you need to help him brush before bed until he gets it right. Be grateful your hygienist cares enough to lecture. Many are only allotted short appointment times and are too burnt out to care. It is common in general dentist offices to have dental assistants do children’s cleanings- which isn’t legal or ethical.