With so much to teach and instill into your child, sometimes simple things like dental health care can get left behind. Below we’ve laid out five easy ways you can help keep your kids’ teeth healthy and start instilling good oral hygiene habits.
- Drink water after consuming sugar: It’s almost impossible to keep your children from eating sugar, so instead of telling them no sugar, make sure they drink water immediately after eating candy or a sugary dessert. Sugar causes bacteria to build up on teeth, which creates cavities. Through washing away the sugar before the bacteria arrives, you can stop cavities before they start.
- Brush for two minutes twice a day: It can be hard to get kids to brush their teeth for two minutes, twice a day. Some simple ways to make teeth brushing more fun and last longer is to get a toothbrush that plays music for two minutes while they brush their teeth, and let them pick out their favorite toothpaste flavor.
- Floss every day: One of the main reasons that adults don’t floss is that they never began the habit as a child. If your children start flossing now, they will keep the habit up as they get older. Flossing can prevent your child from enduring heart disease, tooth loss and high dental bills.
- Eat dairy, and crunchy veggies and fruit: Through eating their recommended intake of dairy products, your children are getting the calcium they need for building up strong teeth. Also, through snacking on crunchy veggies and fruit, not only are your children getting vitamins and minerals, but also they are removing any food particles stuck on their teeth that could lead to cavities.
- Have a bi-annual dental check-up: Many adults are scared of the dentist because they didn’t go enough as a child or had a bad experience as a child. Through choosing a dentist your children feel comfortable with, they can grow up enjoying dental visits and continue the good habit as an adult.
The Lakeway Center for Cosmetic and Family Dentistry is here to meet all of your family’s dental health needs. Contact us today and set-up your family’s appointments.