How to Help your Child have Good Dental Health
Parents know introducing good habits to your child early is a beneficial way to ensure those habits stick with them their whole life. This is especially true for inspiring good dental health in children, where brushing and flossing their teeth will protect them from cavities and periodontal disease. Your Keller Family dentist offers these tips to improve your child’s oral health.
Start before they have Teeth
Parents can still clean their baby’s mouth even without erupted teeth. By cleaning their gums after eating, using gauze, you can stimulate healthy gums and remove any food from meal times. When teeth erupt, start using a soft tooth brush and fluoride tooth paste that will shield teeth from decay. This will also familiarize children with brushing and other oral care activities they will learn later.
Getting them to Brush and Floss
Although an easy task, it may be difficult to teach children to brush and floss daily. Even if they remember to do so, it’s important to teach them how to
brush and floss properly. An easy way to make sure they brush properly is to have children brush their teeth with you, which allowing for full control over the duration of the brushing and making sure they have proper technique. Themed toothbrushes and floss sticks make it more fun to brush and floss, and there are even apps that make teeth brushing into a game. Use an online reward chart and give them a star for every day they brush their teeth.
Preventing Teeth Decay
Ensuring a healthy smile goes hand in hand with eating healthy. Buying raw fruits and vegetables instead of sugary snacks will reduce their chances of teeth decay, and this goes for sugary beverages as well. Teach your children that soda, diet soda, and sweetened drinks count as dessert, and that it’s only okay to drink them sometimes. Routine dental visits, twice a year, will prevent serious teeth decay and help support good dental habits in children. Children need teeth cleaning and exams just like adults do, and frequent visits will catch problems before they become serious. Dr. Dyer is well equipped to treat your child, no matter their dental problems. From their first visit on, they are taken care of.
Improve Your Child’s Oral Health in Keller
Dr. Dyer will see children as early as 9 months for their first examination.
Call our North Tarrant County practice today to schedule an appointment for your child, we love to meet new families and instill good oral health practices.