Today we have a special post from our partners, Dr. Harjot Chawla and Dr. Parvathi Pokala, who are local pediatric dentists in San Diego. Dr. Chawla completed his DDS degree at the University of Southern California and Dr. Pokala completed her DDS degree at Columbia University. They completed their Pediatric Dentistry residency at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. They are both board-certified Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and members of the medical staff at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego
The beginning of your child’s life comes with a lot of love, joy, sleepless nights and questions about taking care of your baby. One of the (many) questions parents have is how to keep the baby’s teeth and mouth healthy. Here is an introduction to what to expect as your baby grows and teeth make their way in.
The first baby tooth comes in around six months and is an exciting milestone in your child’s life. And those teeth keep coming! The last baby tooth usually comes in by three years to complete 20 baby teeth in all.
The tooth fairy comes to visit at six years of age with the eruption of the first permanent tooth and the last baby tooth comes out at 11 years.
Developing healthy habits early plays a big part in keeping teeth and gums healthy.
Here are seven tips for shining smiles:
1. Never put your baby to sleep with a baby bottle full of milk or juice.
2. Avoid letting your baby nurse in bed with you throughout the night.
3. Start brushing teeth as soon as they come in with a small smear of fluoridated toothpaste on the tooth brush.
4. Don’t share straws and spoons with your child, this will prevent passing on bacteria that cause tooth decay to your child.
5. Avoid juice, soda, sports drinks, raisins and sticky candy.
6. Encourage healthy snacks such as low fat cheese, milk, yogurt, cut up vegetables, and fruit.
7. Have their first dental check up when the first tooth erupts and no later than their first birthday.
From the moment your child steps into our reception area they have fun with our books, games on the iPads and movies on our big screen TV. Every dental chair has a ceiling mounted TV and your child gets to wear headphones to listen to a movie of their choice. Laughing gas is also available to make your child’s visit comfortable. Our board certified pediatric dentists can provide sedation dentistry to help eliminate anxiety during dental procedures. All our doctors have staff privileges at Rady Children’s Hospital where they treat children under general anesthesia.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association all recommend that a child has the first dental check up by their first birthday.
At BRSH+FLSS Pediatric Dentistry we are ready to help your child keep their teeth healthy and bright in our warm, friendly and caring environment. Our state-of- the-art pediatric dental practice was planned to make every visit stress free.
They practice at BRSH+FLSS in the San Carlos neighborhood near San Diego State University.
Call us today for a start to a lifetime of healthy teeth for your child!
619-741-1500
