When it comes to practicing good oral hygiene, it’s all about making certain activities a habit. Make them a habit and you and children can expect good oral health throughout your and their lives.
Read below for our favorite oral hygiene advice – for life!
- Once your children reach the age of 6, their adult molars should have erupted. This is a great time to talk to their dentist about placing sealants on their teeth. These coatings can make it harder for bacteria/plaque to form on their teeth, greatly reducing the potential for cavities (according to the Centers for Diseases Control).
- Happy oral health habits should start young. As soon as your baby’s first baby tooth erupts, you should clean it gently with a soft cloth. Once the child is 2, you can start training her on how to brush her teeth. You can floss for her until she’s about 4 or 5, but you can start letting her do it on her own at about age 5 (you’ll supervise of course, until you can see that she can floss correctly herself).
- Don’t drink sodas, even the sugar-free kind, as the carbonic acid in them can erode your tooth enamel.
An ice cold soda can be very refreshing on a hot summer’s day. It’s carbonic acid also can erode your tooth enamel….
- Get your kids brushing twice a day and flossing once a day. Make sure all adults in the home do the same so that your children will think this is normal. What children see is what they do, so if everyone brushes/flosses regularly, your children will, too.
- If you can’t brush right away after eating, at least chew some sugar-free gum. Doing so will increase saliva, which neutralizes the acid in your teeth (which can erode your enamel over time) and washes away the bacteria that will form on your teeth.
- If you can’t brush, but you have some anti-bacterial mouthwash handy, rinse your mouth with it after eating.
- Don’t smoke. It stains your teeth and could lead to oral cancer. Start talking to your children when they’re very young about the serious health risks associated with smoking.
- Limit sugar-laden and starchy foods: they are full of simple carbohydrates (sugars) that can produce enamel-eroding acids. They also create bacteria on your teeth that can become plaque, possibly leading to the formation of cavities.
- If your child grinds his teeth, get him to a dentist. Tooth grinding (bruxism) can erode the surfaces of your child’s teeth, making them more susceptible to tooth decay. To prevent your child’s tooth grinding, your dentist may recommend a mouth guard that your child will wear at night.
- Visit your dentist at least twice a year for a professional cleaning. Doing so removes the built-up plaque that wasn’t removed by your daily brushing/flossing. The dentist also can check your mouth for signs of periodontal disease and even oral cancer.
Follow these tips – and get your children to follow them – and all of you can enjoy a healthy smile for years and decades to come.
image courtesy of Iamnee/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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