As a parent, it’s your responsibility to take care of your children while they’re too young to take care of themselves. Ideally, you should be teaching them how to take care of themselves along the way by watching what you do and mimicking it.
One skill that you should be teaching your kids is how to properly take care of their teeth. But for many parents, they don’t have the patience, knowledge, or time to really give their children’s teeth the attention they need. Especially when you consider that your children will have baby teeth for quite some time, it might seem like they need less care.
However, these mistakes could wind up being costly not only to your child’s health, but also to your bank account. So to help ensure that your kids don’t have dental issues all throughout their lives, here are three tips for caring for your childs’ teeth.
Teach Your Kids The Proper Way To Brush
If left to their own devices, many kids would either brush their teeth for about 15 seconds or just wouldn’t brush their teeth at all. So to ensure that your children are taking proper care of their teeth, it’s up to you to teach them the right way to brush.
According to HealthFinder.gov, you should wait until your kids are about seven or eight before you let them brush their teeth entirely on their own. Up until this point, you should be doing the work or double-checking their work to ensure they’re getting all their teeth as they brush, that they aren’t swallowing their toothpaste, and that they’re regularly flossing.
Take Your Child In For Regular Dental Visits
In addition to getting adequate oral care at home, you also want to bring your child in for regular dental visits.
Not only will making regular dental visits help your child to not be afraid of the dentist, but MouthHealthy.org shares that the dentist will also be able to tell you if your child is having any trouble with their teeth. Issues that your dentist will inform you about could include build-up of plaque, cavities, receding gums, and what your child’s dental future looks like.
Know What Foods To Beware Of
Healthy teeth for your child don’t just happen while brushing in the bathroom or visiting the dentist. To really take the best care of your child’s teeth, you need to consider what he or she is eating and how that food affects their teeth.
According to Dr. Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, a contributor to KidsHealth.org, some of the worst foods for your kids’ teeth include anything with a lot of sugar and foods that are particularly sticky to their teeth. When your child eats these things, make sure they clean their teeth very well afterward.
If you need some help giving your children the best oral health possible, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.
Originally posted on August 12, 2019 @ 3:41 am
