Youngsters lacking dental checkups throughout COVID-19 l Delta Dental of IL

By Dr. Sheila Strock on February 1, 2022 in Children’s Oral Health

An estimated 1 in 4 households with youngsters missed a preventive well being appointment for his or her baby within the final 12 months.¹ 

All through February, Delta Dental of Illinois is emphasizing the significance of fine oral well being care for kids in honor of Youngsters’s Dental Well being Month. This reminder is much more necessary as some Illinois youngsters haven’t obtained the preventive oral well being care go to with their dentist throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

Majority of caregivers observe youngsters’s oral well being worsening

Three in 4 dad and mom (77%) consider their youngsters’s oral well being will not be at the moment nearly as good because it may very well be.² In reality, the typical variety of cavities elevated from one to 2 cavities per baby final yr when in comparison with the earlier yr.³

Over time dental decay can result in an infection of the enamel and gums and might trigger many issues for a kid’s oral well being and well-being. Tooth decay will not be solely painful, but in addition can impact vanity, college attendance, focus and grades.

Routine preventive dental appointments – together with exams, cleanings and X-rays – will help forestall tooth decay or catch it within the early levels. Further care, reminiscent of fluoride therapies and dental sealants, can additional assist forestall tooth decay.

Based on the American Dental Affiliation, dental sealants lower the chance of cavities by 80% on everlasting molars.4 Sealants could be particularly helpful for kids at greater danger of tooth decay and are sometimes utilized to everlasting molars as quickly as they seem to assist defend hard-to-reach areas on enamel from decay. Dental care suppliers can reply any questions and provide further steering.

Addressing the significance of preventive dental care

Delta Dental of Illinois is urging caregivers to proceed routine preventive oral well being care for his or her youngsters and themselves. Whereas protection varies amongst dental plans, many plans cowl most or all of cleanings and exams and provide some protection for fluoride therapies and dental sealants for kids. Find a dentist and schedule a preventive go to at this time.

Beginning dental visits from an early age can set youngsters up for a lifetime of wholesome smiles, and it’s necessary to go to the dentist by age 1. Delta Dental of Illinois Basis’s Dentist By 1 program affords coaching for oral well being professionals and schooling for caregivers on the significance of taking children to the dentist by their 1st birthday. 

By taking the pledge to take their youngsters to the dentist by age 1, caregivers will obtain a free baby’s oral well being equipment from the Delta Dental of Illinois Basis. Study extra at dentistby1.com/Illinois.

¹Kaiser Household Basis, analysis carried out from June 23 – July 5, 2021

^2,3Delta Dental The State of American’s Oral Well being Report, analysis carried out December 28, 2020 to January 8, 2021