Trouble for the Tooth Fairy

Here’s some news that will make your sweet tooth twinge: According to a recent story in the New York Times, “dentists nationwide say they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. The level of decay, they added, is so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake.”

The story also notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes what dentists everywhere are seeing. Its five-year-old study on the topic showed, for the first time in 40 years, an increase in the number of preschoolers with cavities.

The thought of having one of my children enduring any kind of dental work at such a young age is incentive enough for me to wrestle with them twice a day to brush their tiny teeth. But I’m no saint: I’m sure we didn’t start brushing my daughter’s teeth as early as we did with her . He has benefited from the fact brushing his big sister’s teeth was already such a part of our morning and nighttime rituals that adding him to the process was no big deal.

It seems that we also blew it by waiting until was nearly two and a half years old before her first visit to the dentist: The current recommendation, per the experts in the Times’ story, is to take your children to the dentist before their first birthday. Woops, that ship has also sailed with Isaac, who isn’t slated to see the dentist until July; he turns 2 in May.

I’m not actually worried about this dental hygiene delay, however. If we saw any signs of trouble with either of our kids’ teeth or gums, we’d take them to the dentist ASAP. And it doesn’t seem to have caused Lucy any harm to wait until after her second birthday to see the dentist for the first time. She’s already looking forward to this summer’s visit – of course I’ve booked their appointments back-to-back – when she can go first when it’s cleaning time and show her baby brother what it’s all about and how a trip to the dentist is nothing to be afraid of.

Parents, what about you? When did you take your children to the dentist for the first time? Are you vigilantly brushing your kids’ teeth or do you miss a scrubbing session here and there?