Dental Visits Help Kids Do Their Best

You’ve tucked away your kid’s bathing suits, bought a new backpack, sharpened pencils, and visited the pediatrician’s office. But has your child seen the dentist yet?

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that most children have a checkup at least twice a year.¹ Such regular visits with a pediatric dentist can help children avoid unnecessary cavities and dental treatments.¹ They may help your child do his or her best at school, too. Studies report that oral health problems can decrease a child’s school performance and interfere with social relationships.²

Over the course of regular pediatric checkups, a dentist will be able to:

• Review a child’s dental history

• Examine the teeth, oral tissues, and jaw

• Assess any changes in a child’s oral health

• Check for orthodontic problems, such as a child’s bite

• Clean and polish the teeth and apply a fluoride solution¹

• When was the last time your child had a dental checkup?

¹ “Regular Dental Visits.”American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/regdent.asp Accessed 2008.

² “The Pediatric Dentist.”American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/peddentist.asp Accessed 2008.