Dental Hygiene Tips For Kids

February is national children’s dental health month. In celebration of kids all over below you will find some helpful tips to keep your children’s smile healthy and bright for a lifetime.

Helpful Pediatric Dental Hygiene Tips

• Watch What They Drink! – While fruit juice can be a very healthy alternative to energy drinks, soda, and other artificial drinks. Fruit juice has some dangerous dental health qualities as well. The high sugar content in these drinks can be damaging to your child’s smile increasing the risk of tooth decay. This is especially true if drinking thru a sippy cup or constantly drinking throughout the day with brushing or rinsing. A good tip is to mix in fruit juices with water. The water will help rinse away the damaging sugar and keep them hydrated on even the hottest days.
• Take The Lead For Dental Hygiene. Lead by example and show your children how to maintain a healthy smile by maintaining a solid dental hygiene regimen at home along with regular dental visits. Brushing and flossing can be a daily family activity in morning and evenings if possible. Not every family follows the same schedule so this might be tough to follow. Tooth brushing should be at least 2 minutes long covering both inner and outer surfaces of our teeth. Flossing should be same way covering all tooth surfaces to ensure cleaning all over the mouth. By the age of 2, your child should be able to brush and even floss properly with some limited help from you. If they are under the age of 2, you should be brushing and flossing for them to ensure they are learning from you as well as keeping their developing mouth clean. Another good tip is to make brushing and flossing into a game with rewards. Keep a chart handy in the bathroom to work towards goals for your children. Before long these habits will become a part of the normal routine and rewards will no longer be needed.
• Keep Regular Dental Visits. Most fears that people have developed are from their parents. If a parent is afraid of the dentist, most children will also be afraid even without their own bad experiences. Your child should start regular dental visits by about the age of 1. This is usually when the first teeth begin to appear. Your child will also become familiar with the sights, sounds, and people in a dental office and feel comfortable over time.
• Chew Sugarless Gum. Many kids love chewing gum. Chewing gum is excellent for stimulating saliva production and cleaning our mouths during the day. However, the sugar can stick to our teeth causing more damage than benefit. Choose a sugarless gum to get the best of both worlds!
• Consider Dental Sealants. If your dentist has not already discussed them with you ask at your next visit. Dental sealants are a clear coating that goes over the biting surfaces of your child’s teeth covering the natural grooves where tooth decay likes to develop. Dental sealants are an excellent protectant against tooth decay.

Pediatric Dental Hygiene Conclusion

Keeping kids healthy is a top priority including their dental health. The hardest part for a kid is developing that routine so that it becomes natural and easy. Remember to schedule regular dental visits for examinations and professional cleanings.

If you are ready for a smile makeover, contact Marielaina Perrone DDS at (702) 458-2929 to schedule a no cost cosmetic consultation appointment. We cannot wait to help you with your smile makeover to create the smile of your dreams in Summerlin, Henderson, and Las Vegas, NV.