Despite being one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in children, tooth decay is completely avoidable. How? With good dental care, tooth decay can be avoided. Your child will develop healthy oral hygiene practices more quickly if you start teaching them at a young age.
Parents and other adults must assist children in developing and maintaining appropriate oral hygiene practices at home. A parent’s commitment to good oral hygiene will pay off in the long run if you establish good oral hygiene habits during your children’s childhood to ensure their lifetime oral health.
What are some tips for teaching your kids good oral hygiene habits?
- Repetition is essential for instilling sound dental hygiene practices in kids, just like any new habit. As you establish proper dental hygiene as a household habit, consider the following advice:
- Before teeth erupt, cleanly wipe your infant child’s gums twice daily. Once teeth have erupted, it is time to begin using a soft brush with little bristles to brush them in the morning and evening.
- Taking care of your checkups with pediatric dentist Thornton and cleaning is another essential step to ensuring their lifetime oral health.
- By their first birthday, children should see a dentist (or as soon as teeth break through gums).
- When a youngster is younger than six years old, parents or other adults must supervise tooth brushing and flossing. The recommended toothpaste serving size for children this age is one pea.
- Kids should be taught how to brush along the gum line in order to maintain healthy gums.
- Before expecting your youngster to be an expert at flossing, make sure they have mastered tooth brushing. Until they master it, concentrate on one subject at a time. Typically, younger kids under ten still require assistance flossing.
- Be an example of proper oral hygiene practices. Kids will act like you before they will do what you say, as is the case with many other aspects of parenting. Ensure you set an example for others by brushing and flossing at least twice daily.
- Make sure to get fluoride-containing toothpaste because it has been shown to benefit dental health.
Ask the dentist if dental sealants are something they would advise for your kid. The application of dental sealants to the molars prevents cavities in 80 percent of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
