Help Your Child Achieve a Whiter, Healthier Smile in 2022!

To achieve a whiter, healthier smile for your child in 2022 it’s important that they see the dentist on schedule. Without regular checkups and cleanings their teeth could become misshapen from bacteria collected between visits or even cause an infection which would require more serious treatment like surgery!

Parents, take time this year to asses your child’s oral health habits and make plans for cavity prevention. Wherever you stand with oral health in your household, start there and make goals for ways to improve. Setting up strong oral health habits should start early. Tooth decay can be prevented with a few simple tips! Call Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry today at 813-576-0200 to schedule an exam and cleaning for your child and to learn more.

Free Infant Exams

Set your child up for success by starting when your children are babies. Yes, even before teeth become visible. Baby’s gums should be cleaned with water and a cloth or a child-sized toothbrush to rid their mouths from destructive sugars. Oral cleanings and appointments made early on will help your children be more comfortable with mouth care.

Avoid Baby Bottle Decay

Parents, you can protect your baby’s teeth by never allowing a baby (or toddler) to be put to bed with a bottle or sippy cup of milk, formula, fruit juice or sweetened liquid. These liquids sit on teeth, breakdown the enamel, and lead to cavities.

Toddler Care

When your children reach the age of two, parents can start using a soft-bristled toothbrush and an ADA-approved fluoride toothpaste (the size of a grain of rice) to clean your child’s teeth. Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste to protect them from the fluoride content of toothpaste. Fluoride in toothpaste can help protect teeth, but if it is swallowed, it can spike the blood levels of fluoride, permanently damaging teeth–it has been shown to decrease tooth decay by 20-40 percent. Fluoride in tap water is sufficient for your child’s daily needs when supported by fluoride toothpastes. Take extra care when your child is around eight years of age since this is when adult teeth are developing.

Flossing should occur when back teeth begin to come in. Flossing once a day cleans the sides of the teeth that tooth bristles can’t reach.

Schedule Professional Cleanings and Exams with Dr. Botero Often in Tampa

Stay ahead of tooth decay by be diligent with home oral care and with professional, in-office dental cleanings and exams to protect the oral health of your child. In-office dental exams are the foundation of effective preventive health care. Dr. Botero and her Li’l Sunshine Smiles team will inspect and clean your child’s teeth to remove plaque and tartar. Tartar, or dental calculus, is the yellow/brown colored deposit that results when plaque has time to sit on teeth. Because tartar buildup is bonded to the tooth enamel, it can only be eliminated by a dental professional.

In-office exams allow Dr. Botero an opportunity to use digital x-rays to use technology to find hidden decay, preventing it from becoming serious.

Dr. Botero can check your child’s risk of other oral issues by checking the face, neck, and mouth for abnormalities.

Be Intentional with Your Child’s Diet

Visiting Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry allows your child to receive education on the relationship between nutrition and teeth growth and development.

Your child’s diet should be rich with nutrients and vitamins to help teeth and bone strength. Foods that deliver vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and protein are the best foods your child. Keep good foods reachable where your child can see them.

Reduce Sugars

When it comes to sugars, be careful with the amount and frequency of breads, yogurts, cereal bars, juices, dried fruit, fruit (gummy) snacks, potato chips, and sports drinks. Clean teeth within a half hour of offering these foods.

Discuss Sealants

Sealants safeguard back teeth from tooth decay that can invade the deep crevices of teeth. Sealants are painted on top of the tooth surface to seal out decay. The CDC reports that once sealants are applied, they give protection against 80 percent of cavities for two years and continue to fight 50 percent of cavities for up to four years. Applying sealants is easy, pain free, and quick, but a great decay defense for your child’s teeth.

Call Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry today at 813-576-0200 to schedule an oral exam and cleaning for your children. We are ready to help you with your oral health and welcome you to our dental family!