College is one of the most life-changing experiences for your child and for you. Whether you are sending your first or fifth child off to college, the empty nest feeling is always bittersweet. You want to prepare them as much as possible so that their transition to college life is simpler.
The last few weeks of the summer you will be extra busy making sure everything is squared away with tuition, books, transportation, housing arrangements, bank and savings accounts, credit cards, spending allowances, and establishing doctors/dentists. There are a few steps you must take to keep your child on track with their dental health while they are in college.
Establish a Dentist ASAP
Your child will be busy with getting to know the ropes around campus and adapting to their new lifestyle. For a while, their priorities will be studies, friends, and adjusting to a new schedule and way of life. If your child will not be attending college close to home and will be unable to see their current dentist, it is best to establish a trusted dentist near their campus. Refer to online reviews if you need help selecting a dentist and aren’t able to ask a friend or colleague.
Review Dental Insurance Policies
If your child is currently covered under you or your spouse, you will want to be sure that your insurance continues coverage through your child’s tenure in college. If your child will no longer be covered after age 18, it is important to shop for affordable policies so they can continue to receive dental care.
Continue to Stress the Importance of Dental Health
Remember when we talked about priorities earlier in the blog? Well, dental care is included among the forgotten. Oftentimes, people (especially younger adults) are guilty of neglecting dental care because they don’t have any pain. As parents, we must stress the importance of dental maintenance and explain that the lack of pain is entirely due to regular dental care.
Here’s a simple comparison to share with your child: a well-maintained car will continue to be a reliable source of transportation. If you don’t rotate/replace tires, change fluids, and get maintenance check-ups, the car will slowly deteriorate and the car will break down, more than likely at an inconvenient time. The same can be said about our teeth. Just because nothing is wrong at the present time doesn’t mean that we can slack on our dental appointments and routine care.
Put Appointments on Your Calendar
Eventually you will want your child to be independent enough to make their own dental appointments. Until that happens, remind them to make appointments every six months. Add them to your calendar so that you can remind them to make arrangements to not be in class (and work if applicable).
We can help send your student off to college with a bright and healthy smile. Set up an appointment and/or contact us with questions!
