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Show Sfart Youngsters Brushing Teeth early, Says Dentist ( 1-'o!Ioh in'; is the thli d in a scries of articles on "Your Dental Health" being presented present-ed by tin? Review.) That first visit to the dentist for Johnny shouldn't be delayed past age 3, whether he appears to need attention or not. The visit can be a social call in which the dentist and Johnny can become good friends. The dentist can show the child around his office, of-fice, explain his equipment ami also al-so initiate him into the ritual of toothbrushing. It's likely parents will have to do most of the brushing for some time. One suggestion is to let the child biush his own teeth and then have an adult go over them. The child is forming the habit of regular reg-ular toothbrushing, but the parent is actually keeping the mouth clean. Dentists find that children who have started on a brushing routine early in life usually keep up the practice as they grow older. Dentists Den-tists also find that the child who presents a problem is the one who has had no home training and whose first dental visit is postponed post-poned until he is 6 to 12 years old. The notion that treatment of primary pri-mary teeth is not important is false. They should be cared for as carefully as permanent teeth, dentists den-tists emphasize. Premature less of a first tooth may result in drifting of other teeth. If a space is blocked, the permanent tooth may not have room to erupt in its proper place. This forces the teeth out of alignment. align-ment. When certain primary teeth are lost, dentists sometimes recommend the use of a space maintainer in order to prevent other oth-er teeth from moving into the vacant va-cant space. Many mothers believe that it is not important to repair first teeth inasmuch as they fall out anyway. This view not only leads to great pain and sleepless nights for the child, but may result in many abscessed ab-scessed teeth and necessitate the wholesale extraction of teeth. This, in turn, interferes with proper chewing- and proper growth of the child's jaw. How often should a child visit the dentist? Children, like adults, vaiy in mouth cleanliness and susceptibility sus-ceptibility to decay. In general, dental visits should be made at least every six months. |