It’s that time of year when you want your child’s smile to be the best and brightest! Celebrations for holidays and birthdays and baby’s and children’s milestones are all good times for picture taking! These days, we can’t get enough picture taking and posting with selfie sticks and camera phones with us all the time. Here are some tips for helping your child to smile and show those pearly whites, or sometimes lack of teeth, depending on their age and stage of development!
Our littlest patients can create the best pictures but getting them to cooperate is certainly the most difficult. The best thing is to try to catch them at the right time of day. Don’t try that formal pic if they are hungry or tired. Letting them play with or hold their favorite toy is a great way to get a good candid shot. You can also try playing music or getting silly with them. Interesting noise makers positioned behind the camera with overly exuberant parents also works really well and serves the dual purpose of making parents look silly at the same time (if only we could get pictures of that too!). This helps to get a real smile instead of a fake one. This can work for older kids too. Get everyone in a good mood, and those smiles will naturally follow.
Professionals will tell you that you need a lot of shots to get just one good one. That is so easy to do today with our digital cameras and phones with lots of storage. However, our phone cameras and basic cameras don’t stop motion very well, especially in low lighting. Dr. AJ, our resident photographer, recommends using “good lighting and, if you’re serious about getting good pictures, a camera that has a fast lens to help you prevent motion blur from always active little ones.” Don’t hold back, also. Snap a ton of photos, and one is sure to turn out!
Of course, one of the first things people look at when they view faces are the eyes and teeth. Viewing and taking pictures often make us realize how important those pearly whites are. Nothing looks better than a beautiful, healthy, white smile. So keep up with your child’s check-ups, tooth brushing, and flossing at home! And, for those patients already finished with orthodontic treatment and with healthy gums, a custom whitening solution can be designed in our office to create optimal shade and color of the teeth.
Some people like to get good photos capturing the stages of their child’s teeth coming in or falling out. We all remember our “growing up” pictures containing a few teeth missing. How fun! Or how about that toothy grin of your baby with just a few teeth showing? There is nothing more precious! If you are particularly proud of you or your child’s smile and how we have helped them with their dental needs, please share your story on our facebook page or review us on google.
About Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan, the offices of Drs. Delaney, Plunkett, Ralstrom, Makowski, Thanasas, Ker, and Associates
Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan have specialized in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics since 1968. Our family-friendly office gives patients and families a more comfortable and consistent experience with dentistry from the very beginning. The pediatric dentists treat children from newborn to 18 years of age while our orthodontists provide care for both children and adults, including being an Invisalign preferred provider. The ability to treat all special needs patients reaches beyond our facility, which has treatment rooms available for children who require additional privacy. Valued hospital affiliations allow dental services to be performed at DMC Children’s Hospital and St. John’s Hospital Macomb when needed. Our specialists are also on staff at Henry Ford and Beaumont hospitals.
