"My son is turning one. When should I bring him in for a visit?"

Great question! The short answer is, "First visit by first birthday."

Dr. Kelly Hilgers and our staff know that cavities know no age boundaries, and that is why we recommend a visit to our office at age one. That also happens to be the opinion of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association agree. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children who are at risk of early childhood cavities visit a pediatric dentist by their first birthday.

Research has shown that cavities are increasing in preschool-aged children, and that more than one in four kids has had at least one cavity by the time they're four years old. In fact, many children get cavities as early as age two.

The appointment also covers topics such as the importance of baby teeth, nutrition, development and overall concerns you may have with your child. We believe that a child's first visit with Dr. Kelly or Dr. Greg Mathieu should be enjoyable and positive. The more you and your child know about the first visit, the better you will feel. Our staff makes a practice of using pleasant, non-frightening, simple words to describe your child's first dental visit and treatment, and we want you to feel at ease from the moment your family arrives at our convenient Goodyear office.

Have you scheduled an appointment for your child? We hope to see you soon!

You, your child and cavities, from Hilgers Pediatric Dentistry

Yes, we've blogged about cavities and stressed the need to see the dentist in our earlier posts. But, our team at Hilgers Pediatric Dentistry read an interesting article this morning pertaining to cavities and how bacteria spreads from parents to children, and thought we'd share the piece with you, our valued patients.

According to the MSNBC article, Streptococcus mutans, or MS, is a bacterium that can pass from person to person through the transfer of saliva, and is the main culprit. Bacteria has been known to spread through blowing on babies' foods, sharing household utensils and even kissing your little one. In fact, a 2008 pediatric dentistry study showed “strong evidence demonstrated that mothers are a primary source of MS colonization of their children; a few investigations showed other potential sources … notably fathers.”

Our staff knows tooth decay is caused by a combination of factors, including the transfer of infectious saliva, genetics, oral hygiene, and feeding practices, such as letting your baby constantly suck on a sippy cup full of juice or milk or other sugar-laden liquids.

Dr. Kelly Hilgers would like for you to read the article and learn a bit more about the transmission of bacteria and how it might impact your child. If you have any questions about bacteria or your treatment here at Hilgers Pediatric Dentistry, please feel free to give us a call at (623) 536–0079!