Back to School Dental Tips

With the start of August, back to school is just around the corner! Proper dental care should be taught at a young age to ensure that our children continue these practices into adulthood. Good dental maintenance will avoid painful problems and unnecessary expenses in the future so let's talk about what you can do to make sure your kids are learning exactly what to do!
 

Healthy Choices = Healthy Mouth

The easiest thing you can do to promote good dental hygiene in your children is to promote teeth-friendly food. We all know that fruits and vegetables are much better for our teeth then sugary snacks and chips. Involving your children in the grocery shopping and cooking can make healthy foods fun. A lot of times children are uneasy about eating things they don't know. It can be as simple as letting them pick out the vegetable for dinner and showing them how you prepare it to get them excited about eating it! Another tip is to make healthy food convenient for them. Instead of stocking the pantry with chips and candy, cut up apples and carrots and have them in snack sized baggies ready to go in the fridge. Saving your sugary and starchy foods for mealtime to prevent cavities.
 

Good Daily Dental Habits

An easy thing that we can do to promote good teeth and gum health is to floss and brush daily. If you start this with your children it will help create a habit and prevent cavities in the future! Bring your children with you to the store to pick out their own toothbrushes and anti-cavity children's toothpaste. Stores are stocked with fun children's character themed brushes and cool colored toothpaste. Brushing your mouth thoroughly should be a two minute process which includes brushing your teeth, gums, tongue and roof of mouth. Finding a two minute song that your children love to play during their brushing is a great way to make dental time fun for them and help them learn to be through.
 

Make Dental Appointments Fun

Bring your children with you to your dental appointments to show them at a young age that going to the dentist is a normal and not scary event! They can go to a pediatric dentist as soon as their first tooth appears or before their first birthday. Once they reach age 5 you can bring them with you to Regency Dental for their future exams and cleaning. You can prepare your children for dental visits with free kids dental app games on your phone or tablet or by reading them a book about visiting the dentist. Bring your children somewhere fun before or after their dental visit to make visiting our office like a fun excursion!

 Practice makes perfect when it comes to maintaining good oral hygiene with your children! Remember to use patience and show your children what to do by example.