The early years of a person’s life can be crucial for their dental health. This is when many form the habits that will affect their teeth and gums well into adulthood. There are many things parents can do to help ensure that their children are developing healthy habits early on. These include brushing with age appropriate fluoride containing toothpaste, flossing daily, and making sure they eat plenty of tooth friendly foods. Ensuring your child has a properly brushed smile means you have to help them with their brushing up to 8 years and even after that monitor and remind them..
How Children’s Dentistry Helps Your Kid’s Oral Health?
There are many things parents can do to ensure that their children are developing healthy habits early on and that they have a properly brushed smile. Monitoring them closely is one of those things. Every child and baby is unique, which means they may each need different types of dental care and advice on how to properly brush or motivate them to brush their teeth. Investing in children’s dentistry early on gets them used to going to the dentist and helps establish the importance of good dental health.
7 Tips to Improve Your Child’s Oral Health
How can you ensure your child has a properly brushed smile? Here are 7 tips to help improve your child’s oral health.
Good Habits Start Early
The habits you establish as a child may continue on to affect the health of your teeth and gums in adulthood. In the first few years of life, you are forming habits that can last for a lifetime. It’s important to create good habits as early on as possible.
Schedule Regular Visits With Your Pediatric Dentist
One of the most important things you can do for your child’s teeth is to schedule regular visits with a dentist. These visits are crucial for monitoring their dental development and dental health, helping to catch any problems early.
Have Kids Brush Their Teeth Twice a Day
It’s important to get your child in the habit of brushing their teeth twice a day. Make brushing part of their morning and evening routine, and teach them how to brush with the proper technique. The most effective technique is to use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush and brush for two minutes. Children under 8 years old should get help from an adult to make sure they brush all the surfaces of their teeth..
Use the Right Brush Technique
One of the most important habits you can teach your child is how to brush their teeth properly. You should brush their teeth until they can do it independently, which will typically be around age 8. The first step in proper brushing is finding the right toothbrush for them. This will depend on their age and ability to use it independently.
Some things to consider when choosing a toothbrush are size, shape, and bristles (always choose a soft toothbrush with a small head). Once you’ve found the right one, make sure they’re using a rice or pea-sized amount of age appropriate fluoride containing toothpaste. When you brush, start with the back teeth and work your way up to the front teeth before moving to the next quadrant of your mouth. . Brush for two minutes and make sure they spit out after brushing so nothing gets swallowed.
Floss Once a Day
Every day, kids should floss. Flossing is necessary because it removes plaque from the spaces between teeth. It also helps remove food particles and bacteria that are left after brushing. Even small amounts of food debris can cause cavities or lead to an infection. Kids’ floss picks can make this task easier.
Use Fluoride Toothpaste
It’s important to use an age appropriate fluoride containing toothpaste from 18 months of age. Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent cavities and strengthens teeth. It can help protect against dental caries not just in children but for life helping to prevent decay for the whole family.
Healthy Diet, Healthy Teeth
One of the most important things a child can do to protect their teeth is to eat a balanced diet. Not only will this help keep their teeth healthy, but their overall health too. Along with eating well, it is essential that children have enough calcium in their diet. In fact, most kids don’t get enough calcium during the day. Low vitamin D and A levels can also impact tooth development. For healthy teeth a balanced diet of tooth friendly foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products, eggs, and fish is essential.
Summary
Children’s dentistry is important as it helps children to develop healthy habits as early as possible. Ensuring that your child is getting preventive care later in life is much harder than ensuring they get good dental care when they’re young. If you take these steps, you can help to ensure your child has a properly brushed smile and healthy teeth going into adulthood. In addition to going to the dentist for regular checkup and cleans, you should get your child in the habit of brushing twice a day and flossing regularly.
