Sammamish Parents: How to Send Your Kids Back to School with Healthy Teeth

When classes start in Sammamish in the coming weeks, many kids will unfortunately go back with tooth decay. “Too many children experience tooth decay: In Washington state, nearly 40 percent of children start kindergarten with tooth decay. Yet, it’s a largely preventable disease,” said Dianne Riter, senior program officer at Washington Dental Service Foundation.

But parents can take steps to reduce tooth decay that their kids have now. Regular visits to the dentist also can help prevent decay in the future.

John Liu, a dentist who lives in Sammamish, has a pediatric dental practice in Issaquah, the Eastside Pediatric Dental Group. His colleagues are dentists SallySue Lombardi and Donna Quinby.

Liu's practice sees a wide range of patients from infants to high school students. He said parents need to have their child start seeing a dentist early. “The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that a child see the dentist by their first birthday or six months after their first tooth erupts.” 

In addition to frequently offering a more kid-friendly office environment, Liu said, “pediatric dentists receive an additional two years of training after graduating from dental school on how to work with children.”

Dental health is an important part of overall health and wellness, he explained. “Parents need to realize that the health of their children's teeth can have dramatic implications on their children's adult teeth as well as their overall health. If children have cavities in their teeth that go untreated because the assumption is that they are 'baby-teeth' and will be lost anyway, it can lead to infections that can spread to other parts of the body resulting in unnecessary pain and even possible hospitalization for the treatment of the infection," he said.

"This can set the child up for a lifetime of problems with their adult teeth, if problems with their 'baby-teeth' are left untreated.”

Liu recommends parents schedule a dental cleaning and exam for their children every six months. “This is because we would much rather catch problems early rather than late. Additionally, for some children, we may recommend more frequent visits depending on the level of their brushing and rate of getting cavities,” he said.

Putting off dental visits for your kids can cause more expense and damage in the long run. “All too often, we are confronted with parents who wishes after the fact, that someone had told them what to do and what not to do because by the time they've come to see us. The damage is already there," he said. 

"That's why the biggest challenge is getting the parents to get their children in as early as possible, before problems arise, become established with a 'dental home' for their children and therefore be able to receive all the helpful information and guidance on how to insure their children enjoy a lifetime of healthy teeth and beautiful smiles.”

Parents can make dental visits less anxious, Liu said, by better managing their own anxiety around dental care. “Often, parents make the mistake of expressing their own fears from their experiences as a child going to the dentist knowingly and sometimes unknowingly," he said. 

"They need to remember that their children can pick up on their parents' fears and anxiety. They need to stay positive about the visit and keep it simple as to what the dentist and his (or) her staff is going to do. There are books that they can get to read with their children about going to the dentist.”

Parents are a big part of helping kids establish healthy habits that will serve them for life. “Parents need to help with the child's brushing. Initially, the parents will have to do most of the brushing and even though sometimes there is a lot of protesting going on by the child especially when they are much younger, parents need to be persistent yet patient with the child," he said.

"Parents should let the child see that they brush their teeth on a regular basis to set a good example for the child, ask any visiting grandparents or other family members to let the child see them brushing their teeth, will help the child understand that this is something everyone does. As the child gets older, letting them brush a little first by themselves followed by brushing by the parents will give the child an opportunity to learn and practice how to do it on their own. By the time children can write cursive, they should have the hand dexterity to do a good job on their own.”

For kids playing sports, he added, don’t forget protection for the teeth. “Wearing protective gear when children are participating in sports is critical to preventing injuries,” he said.

And although sports stores sell generic mouth guards, Liu said, “often, a custom one fits better and is more comfortable making it more likely a child will wear it.”

And sometimes, despite our best efforts, the worst happens and your child knocks out all or part of a tooth. Then what should we do?  Liu explained: “There is a critical window of time when an 'adult tooth' is knocked out. If the tooth is out of the mouth for more than 30 minutes, the chances of success in re-implanting the tooth begins to drop dramatically. If the parents are present at the scene of the accident and are able to find the tooth, they should, if they are comfortable, put it right back into the mouth. Don't scrub the tooth, just gently rinse off any debris. If the parents are not comfortable putting the tooth back in the mouth, they should put it into a container with milk and see the dentist as soon as possible."

"If the tooth is chipped, depending on how big the chip is, it may be really sensitive and need to have a protective covering put over the chipped portion of the tooth," he said. "We like to tell the child that we are putting on a bandage on the tooth. If the chip is significant, it might be worth looking for the chipped off portion so that it can potentially be re-bonded on to the tooth.”

For parents who have put off making regular six month dental cleanings and exams part of their child’s routine, Liu said now is the time to get started. “By seeing the dentist regularly and practicing some simple preventive habits at home, it will go a long way towards insuring the child grows up to enjoy a lifetime of healthy teeth. To quote Ben Franklin, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”