One of the most challenging aspects of parenting is trying to make sure your kids stay healthy while also encouraging them to actively make healthy choices and embrace healthy habits.
You might be able to enforce a strict brushing regimen when they’re young, but in time they will have to make these values their own. That’s why it’s so important to develop an approach to oral health education that is focussed on the long term: building habits that will make oral hygiene a life-long priority.
If you want your kids to develop an appreciation for oral health and a good foundation in how to keep their mouths clean and their teeth sparkling, here are four things you should be doing.
1. Minimize Sugar Intake by Exploring Alternatives
Everyone knows that sugar has an incredibly destructive impact on tooth enamel, and limiting sugar intake is one of the best ways to improve oral health and reduce the chances that their next dental appointment will reveal that a cavity is forming.
While some of the steps toward reducing sugar might be obvious — limit the number of sugary beverages your kids drink (including heavily processed juices) and ration candy consumption — a purely negative approach may prompt a backlash. After all, sweets are one of childhood’s pleasures, and taking an overly restrictive approach isn’t always effective.
Instead, you should try to counterbalance restrictions by teaching your kids about healthy eating in a positive way.
For example, if you decide not to keep soft drinks in the house, introduce other refreshing beverages like unsweetened or semi-sweetened herbal iced tea, coconut water, or water flavoured with natural ingredients like herbs, fruits, berries, and citrus.
Likewise, simply cutting out chocolate bars without offering alternatives can cause resentment, so explore recipes for low-sugar granola bars that use natural sweeteners like dried fruit, or honey — which, eaten in moderation, has been shown to be a healthy alternative to refined sugar.
2. Make Brushing and Flossing a Daily Ritual
Diet can go a long way toward building robust oral health, but it is only one part of a larger picture. Brushing and flossing are absolutely essential to maintain healthy teeth and gums, and incorporating these things into daily rituals when their young will go a long way toward instilling oral health habits that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
Brushing should happen at least twice a day, in the morning and before bed, and flossing on a daily basis will help catch any food particles that get trapped between the teeth, while also stimulating the gums and keeping plaque and tartar at bay.
But habitual brushing and flossing won’t go far if your kids aren’t using the right techniques, so make sure to them not to simply focus on vigour — brushing too hard can create problems for the gums later on.
Instead, emphasize the importance of varied speeds and brushing down from the gums, and of spending at least two minutes on the task and paying special attention to the back molars, where cavities often first develop.
3. Be Proactive About Dental Care
Good oral health arises from the things we do every day — eating well, drinking lots of water, and regularly cleaning teeth and gums. But developing a proactive approach to dental care is just as important, especially in the crucial years between six and sixteen, when the arrival of adult teeth and rapid growth can have a major impact on oral health.
The American Dental Association recommends booking your child’s first dental appointment by age one, and following this with regular bi-annual appointments as they get older. Booking your child’s dental appointments in advance at Dentistry On 7th will help you keep teeth clean, gums healthy, and catch cavities before they have a chance to do too much damage.
A key part of our healthcare philosophy is the belief that prevention is better than cure, so if you want dental services for kids that will focus not just on solving existing dental problems but also on orthodontic and periodontal procedures that will provide a solid foundation for lifelong oral health, Dentistry on 7th can meet all your needs.
4. Take Advantage of the Cosmetic Options Available
As children get older and enter their middle school years, the appearance of their teeth becomes increasingly important. While the primary concern of dentistry has always been ensuring that your teeth and gums are strong and healthy, cosmetic dentistry can also play an important role in giving children brighter, more confident smiles.
There are many reasons why a child’s teeth might become brown and discoloured, including diet and oral hygiene, and while whitening procedures are generally discouraged for children under the age of fourteen (tooth pulp has not fully hardened at this stage, and so teeth are often unusually sensitive), there are many options for teeth whitening in Hamilton for teens who are feeling embarrassed about stains.
If this is a concern for any of your children, get in touch with Dentistry on 7th to explore what options are available. Cosmetic dentistry is something we take very seriously, and we can help you and your child find a solution that will help feel confident flashing their brilliant smile once again.
For adults who have been practicing good oral health for their entire lives, brushing teeth before bed and making sure to floss along the roots is second-nature. The challenge of raising kids is to inculcate these same habits in them, so that when they leave home and venture out into the world, they don’t come home with a mouth full of cavities.
At Dentistry on 7th, we understand that prevention is the bedrock of good oral health, which is why we work with parents to help make sure their kids eat well, brush and floss often, and see the value in regular dental check-ups. If you want to make sure your children’s teeth are in the best possible condition, book your next appointment today!