Did you know that February is National Children’s Dental Health Month? You may be wondering what that means. The purpose of this month is awareness. Thousands of healthcare professionals, dentists, healthcare providers, and educators come together in February to bring and spread awareness to parents all over about the importance of keeping their child’s mouth healthy and teaching them good oral habits at a young age.
Although tooth decay is preventable in its entirety, it is the most common chronic disease in children. When life gets busy, many parents fail to enforce healthy oral habits on their children which results in tooth decay. Ensuring your child has a healthy mouth when they are older, starts by enforcing it when they are younger.
The importance of oral health is underestimated because so many don’t realize the correlation between oral health and overall health. The reality is that your child should be brushing at least twice a day, flossing once a day, and visiting their pediatric dentist in Las Colinas every 6 months from age 2 forward. While getting your kids to practice oral health can be difficult sometimes, let’s talk about some ways to make it a bit more fun.
- Make nightly/morning brushing a family activity
Grab your toothbrush and your kids and make it fun little family activity. Show your child how to brush properly, and spend time with them while taking care of your own oral health. - Play your child’s favorite song for brush time
Playing your child’s favorite song while brushing can not only help make oral care more fun, but it helps to ensure your child is brushing for the correct amount of time, which is 2 minutes. - Let your child pick out their favorite toothbrush and toothpaste
Another way to make brushing a bit more fun is to let your child pick out their favorite toothbrush; from colors to characters, to toothbrushes that play music themselves, there are a ton of fun options for your child. While many children don’t like the taste of normal mint toothpaste, luckily there are a lot of child-approved flavors like bubble gum. Find a flavor your child likes to ensure your child enjoys brushing their teeth just a little bit more. - Visit the dentist every 6 months/ portray the dentist in a very positive light
It is important that your child visits the dentist every 6 months for checkups and cleanings. This will help to prevent cavities and tooth decay and keep your child’s mouth healthy. This also ensures that your child’s dentist is able to catch dental problems, such as tooth decay before it penetrates too deeply and becomes a bigger issue than it should be. Make sure that you always portray the dentist in a positive light to your child. - Don’t underestimate the negative effects of sugar
Sugar is a major and leading, cause of tooth decay in kids. Ensure your child isn’t consuming too much sugar. Try swapping for healthier snacks, like fruit instead of sweets. Be on the lookout for hidden sugars, for example in fruit juices that are often only 5% real fruit juice.
Teaching your child healthy oral habits is pretty much just as important as taking care of your child’s oral health itself. If you implement these habits into your child when they are young, you are doing them a favor for later on in their lives.
Here at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, we prioritize our patients and their health. If you are looking for a caring, friendly, and innovative team of dental health experts, you can find us here. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
