Make sure your child goes back to school with a beautiful, healthy smile! Sure, you’re busy checking supply lists and buying clothes, shoes, arranging daycare, and more, but ensure that a dental checkup is in your list of things to do. A dental exam ensures your child’s mouth is healthy and free of cavities and other troublesome quirks.
But, there’s more to do to maintain a beautiful smile than visit the doctor a couple of times per year. At Crossroads Family Dentistry, protecting your child’s smile is what we do best. Use the following tips to further ensure your child returns to school with a great smile.
Tip 1: Establish a Routine
Oral health care is part of an important daily routine that, over time, makes brushing the teeth second nature for the kids. Make sure the kids brush their teeth every morning and again before they’re all tuckered out for the night during the summer so it won’t be a dramatic change when school is in session.
Tip 2: Go Healthy
Pack healthy food and drinks in your kid’s lunch box. Avoid prepackaged foods and beverages with added sugar. Sugar increases the number of enamel-dissolving acids found in the mouth, which leads to cavities if not removed from the teeth. Hummus, baby carrots, apples, and peanut butter, water, and other fun lunches make healthy eating a little less unbearable for the kiddos.
Tip 3: Protect Kids Teeth
Children who play sports should use custom-fitted mouthguards to protect their teeth. Serious damage may occur to unprotected teeth during various sporting events including basketball, track and field, soccer, football, and others.
Tip 4: Teach Your Child How to Brush
Proper brushing techniques are essential to good oral health care. Children should use a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush their teeth for a two-minute per side, and brush their tongue to remove odors and plaque. Use fluoride toothpaste, keeping in mind that only a pea-sized amount is needed to brush the teeth. Help smaller children brush and make sure that older children have the proper brushing techniques.