fact:
Annual visits to
the dentist
ensures good
oral health
In your child’s early years, make dental visits a
part of your child’s back-to-school routine!
There are plenty of items to check off on the back-
to-school list, including: school supplies, doctor visits,
haircuts etc., but no back-to-school checklist is complete
without a visit to the dentist. A dental checkup should
be part of the back-to-school routine, along with
immunizations and a yearly physical exam. By making a
dental visit part of your yearly routine, it’s easy to make
sure your child’s oral health is in top shape and that he or
she is ready for the school year ahead.
Here is a good schedule for you to follow:
Before Your Child’s 1st Birthday
Take your child to the dentist before his or her rst
birthday! First visits are mostly about getting kids used
to the dentist’s ofce, including the smells, sights and
sounds of the dental ofce. It’s also a great time for
educating parents about how to care for their baby’s
teeth. If your child has transitioned from the bottle
to a cup and doesn’t snack or drink in the middle of
the night, you may get a one-year pass, until age 2.
That’s when the standard every-six-month dental visit
recommendation kicks into gear.
Ages 4 - 6
When your child is between ages 4 and 6, expect your
dentist to take a rst set of x-rays to check for cavities
between the teeth.
Ages 6 – 12
Prevention is the name of the game at all ages, but
it’s a great strategy to have between ages 6 and 12,
when baby teeth give way to permanent teeth. Your
child’s dentist will probably suggest dental sealants for
the permanent molar teeth. A sealant is a plastic resin
that bonds to a tooth’s chewing surface and helps keep
cavity-causing bacteria from getting into the grooves
and valleys of teeth where decay typically starts.
In the end, it’s the basics – brushing and ossing daily
and getting regular dental checkups -- that have the
most impact on a kid’s smile. Remember, dental decay
and gum disease are preventable. Help your child enjoy
a lifetime of easy preventive and routine dental visits.
www.libertydentalplan.com
© 2020 LIBERTY Dental Plan Back-to-School-Back-to-Dentist-Eng RN 01 2020
Making members shine, one smile at a time
™
Back to School/
Back to Dentist
LIBERTY cares about more than just teeth!
