Dental illness prevention starts at home. As a parent, it is your responsibility to keep your child’s teeth healthy and clean by attending to their oral care needs from the day they start developing their primary teeth (usually about 6 months) until they are capable of taking care of themselves.
This post gives you 5 effective dental care tips to incorporate into your child’s oral care routine. To begin with, let’s run through the most common dental problems in children and how practicing good oral hygiene benefits their dental health.
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Common Dental Problems in Children
Children aged 5 to 6 start losing their primary teeth to make way for their permanent teeth. This stage requires much dental care to build an excellent oral hygiene foundation that will be vital throughout adulthood. Below are some of the most common dental problems caused by inadequate oral care:
- Bad breath
- Tooth decay
- Sensitive teeth
- Mouth ulcers
- Cold sores
- Excessive thumb sucking
- Pediatric gingivitis
- Teeth grinding
- Teeth loss
Advantages of Healthy Teeth
When you enrol your child in a preschool in the Newmarket area, they start to develop their social skills. During this stage, ensuring strong teeth and gums is crucial for your kid. Teaching your child the importance of good oral habits can help them become confident around their friends and also ensure that they reap the following benefits of having healthy teeth and gum:
- Avoidance of misaligned teeth
- Prevention of extra checkup fees
- Ensure they carry out their routines effectively
- Lessened risk to mouth cavities and gum diseases
Dental Care Tips for Your Child
According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, “All children and youth should have access to preventive and treatment-based dental care.” Since oral health is a fundamental part of their daily existence, here are the dental care tips to promote and nurture your child’s health and happiness:
- Attend Regular Dental Check-Ups
Photo by Nadezhda Moryak
Getting regular dental check-ups with experts like this reliable invisalign dentist in greenbelt are as essential as eating a balanced diet and good hygiene. Tooth decay is prevalent in kids and adults. However, attending regular dental appointments helps prevent this problem early on. Dentists recommend taking your little one to the dental clinic as soon as their first tooth comes in. While this may seem too early, your baby’s first dental visit allows the pediatric dentist in Burlington to check if their teeth are erupting and developing properly.
- Establish Healthy Eating Habits
A poor diet can gradually affect your child’s functionality. It will cause your child to lose their appetite, experience tooth loss, and go through painful gum infections. Experts recommend incorporating raw fruits and vegetables (especially leafy veggies), calcium-rich products (milk and cheese), and protein (turkey, chicken, and whitefish) into their diet to get the required vitamins and minerals needed to strengthen their teeth.
Limit your child’s consumption of sweetened beverages and carbohydrate-and-starch-filled foods to reduce their risk of tooth cavities. Encourage them to drink plenty of water to keep them hydrated and wash away the sugar in their mouth after eating sweets.
A well-balanced diet ensures strong teeth, prevents gum diseases, and other dental complications, keeping your dental health in top condition.
- Teach Them Regular and Proper Brushing
Brushing the teeth regularly is the cornerstone of good oral practice. Like adults, children need to brush their teeth twice daily for a maximum of three minutes, with a smear (grain-sized or pea-sized) of toothpaste. Doing an inadequate job of brushing your child’s teeth is almost as ineffective as not doing it at all. Teach your child to take your time by moving the toothbrush in gentle, circular strokes to remove plaque. Be sure to replace your child’s toothbrush every 3 months
To make their toothbrushing experience fun and enjoyable, let them choose a design they prefer, like floral, colourful, or cartoon-themed toothbrush and their favourite toothpaste flavour.
- Choose an Appropriate Toothpaste Brand
Selecting the right toothpaste for your toddler might be tricky, especially with dozens of toothpaste brands that promise to keep teeth whitened, reduce sensitivity, and avoid gum diseases. For your children under the age of 3, experts recommend toothpaste with a minimal amount of fluoride.
Ask a kids dentist in Oshawa if you are unsure what toothpaste brand to buy.
- Adhere Strictly to Good Dental Hygiene Habits.
The heart of your child’s excellent oral hygiene is responsible parenting and a competent dentist. Applying these tips and incorporating them into your child’s dental care habits can ensure that they will continue to practice good dental hygiene habits until adulthood.Help your child develop an at-home oral care routine and enforce it as part of your responsibility. Teaching your child these dental habits fosters self-esteem and promotes overall well-being, which can positively impact their adult life. Most importantly, visit their pediatric dentist regularly to get more helpful tips in promoting dental habits at home or school.
