Parents also played a roll in developing a fear of dentists. Their words and actions often developed a sense of fear about a dentist, a fear that even back then was not really warranted. Modern dentistry is even less so with most patients leaving a dentist’s rooms today with bigger smiles than when they arrived.

Children pick up on the feelings and fears of parents. If parents are relaxed and talk about their dentist as being their teeth’s best friend, then children will follow suit. Take your child to their first dental check-up and they will most likely leave feeling great about the experience. This will help to build a trusting friendly relationship with their dentist rather than an old-fashioned fear of the dentist.

Why is this important? Research is now showing that people who brush twice daily and visit a dentist for a check-up every six months tend to have far fewer dental problems in later life. That means they save their teeth, and they save a lot of money – restoring teeth can be an expensive process while preventative treatment is relatively inexpensive.

If you teach your children to like and trust their dentist now, they may well thank you later in life when they still have all of their teeth.

A regular dental check-up and cleaning of your teeth can help to prevent many of those problems from occurring. During a check-up, your dentist will examine each tooth for any evidence of decay, and if any is found, arrange to have that decay removed and the tooth filled, if appropriate. Your dentist will also examine your gums to determine if there is any gum disease present.

Part of this examination is a thorough professional cleaning of your teeth. Cleaning your teeth using professional equipment serves several purposes. First, by removing any buildup of tartar, your dentist can determine if there are any problems developing, especially at the gum line. Cleaning, of course, also helps to prevent problems occurring into the future.

If you have a history of tobacco use, your dentist may also perform an oral cancer screening. While this won’t definitively discover cancerous areas, it will discover areas that should be further investigated for cancer.

A simple six month dental check-up is an important part of your overall health maintenance. Your mouth is where food passes through to your digestive system – poor dental health can result in large numbers of bacteria traveling with that food into your gut causing any number of problems. If you haven’t had a dental check-up in the last six months, perhaps it’s time you organized one.

In years gone by, children often developed a fear of dentists, not through experience, but through the words and actions of their parents. Comments such as “I have to visit the dreaded dentist today” are hardly likely to invoke pleasant images of the experience. Today’s parents are much kinder when referring to the dentist with comments such as “I am going to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned and polished. My teeth will look so much better.” Those comments do conjure up at least neutral if not positive images.

If your child attends the dentist with you, then those positive images can be reinforced. Ideally, your children should have their first dental check up at about four years of age. You can take them as early as two, but there is little the dentist can do at that age apart from checking their teeth and making them feel comfortable.

A trip to the dentist is no longer the nightmare it may have been fifty years ago. With gentle background music, dental rooms painted in soothing pastels, and technology that reduces pain to its barest minimum, a trip to the dentist has become a pleasure – more so if the worst the dentist does is clean and polish your teeth. Do your children a favor the next time you visit a dentist – take them with you and schedule their first check up.

One of the best way to teach children dental care is by example. Your children should see us caring for our teeth from the moment they are born. Whether it is brushing, flossing or simply rinsing – let them see what you are doing and talk to them – tell them why.

Taking your child with you when you go for a dental check-up can also be a good idea – check with your dentist first, but for a check-up most dentists wont mind.

As soon as your child’s teeth erupt, include them in the cleaning process. Start gently and work as much on the process of cleaning as you do on the actual cleaning. Make it fun and not chore – if you have children you will know how much they dislike ‘having’ to do something – encourage them to want to do it.

If your dentist is obliging, book a double appointment for your next dental check-up. Once the dentist has seen to your teeth, they can then check on your child’s teeth. Having seen you in the dentist chair with no dramas, your child will be fairly obliging themselves.

Finally, when it comes to the dentist, watch your language. Children pick up on negatives very quickly so a statement, made in fun such as, “I have to go to the dreaded dentist today” could have severe negative affects down the track.

We only get one chance to create a positive attitude towards dental care – that starts when we are children. Getting your children’s dental attitude right should be a priority in every household.