Children’s Oral Hygiene – Teaching Your Child to Take Care of Their Teeth

Being a parent is a full-time job, and it can often be difficult to manage your children’s oral hygiene. Here are a few tips to help you and your child take care of their teeth for a life-long healthy smile.

Treat your child’s baby teeth with the same level of importance that you would their permanent teeth. Baby teeth maintain space in their mouth to allow the permanent teeth to erupt as well as allow them to eat and speak properly. Therefore, it is important to brush twice daily and floss once a day to keep their teeth healthy. Getting your child to brush & floss on their own or doing it for them can often be a challenge. To help facilitate good children’s oral hygiene habits, try these suggestions:

• Make brushing/flossing a daily priority that is important & necessary and cannot be skipped
• Brush & floss wherever it is convenient (not necessarily in the bathroom)
• Brush without toothpaste if necessary; toothpaste acts as a source of fluoride and freshens breath, but it is not as important as the act of brushing alone
• Allow them to choose their toothbrush and floss/flossing aids as a means of getting them actively involved
• Make it as fun as possible and approach your children’s oral hygiene with a positive attitude; playing music they enjoy or making it into a game can often be helpful

Have more questions on how to help take care of your child’s teeth? Call us today to set up an appointment to bring your child in for their dental check-up! Children 3-years-old and under receive their first visit free! They will get a full evaluation, teeth cleaning, and fluoride treatment!