Children’s dental health: What to know

Local dentists are helping families make sure kid’ teeth are healthy before the Tooth Fairy comes to collect. February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so the Recorder sat down with a few dentists in the community to brush up on some important hygiene tips every parent should know in caring for their child’s teeth. Dr. Jordan Crowe, an Indy-based pediatric dentist, said her first piece of advice to parents is early intervention. Dentists want to see a child about six months after their first tooth comes in or at one year old, whichever comes first, she said. “It’s just a really good time to kind of check in with families and talk about habits they may have at home, dietary habits, if they’re taking any medicines or getting exposure to fluoride,” she said. “It’s about moderation and making sure we’re getting the appropriate amount of exposure. So, early intervention is probably the number one thing.” Dr. Brooke Scott, a general dentist and owner of Scott Dentistry, said it is important to continue to bring younger kids into the dentist every six months, even if it is just to get them used to the dentist. “At those appointments, most dentists...