877 Smile Today: “How Can I Keep My Children’s Teeth and Gums Healthy?”
“How Can I Keep My Children’s Teeth and Gums Healthy?”
“How Can I Keep My Children’s Teeth and Gums Healthy?”
Most children don’t love visiting the dentist, but you can help yours by teaching them great oral hygiene habits from the time that their first tooth shows up. Your child’s teeth begin to form before they even born and the first baby (primary) tooth cuts through the gums anytime from 4 months old.
There are a total of 20 baby teeth that will all be present in most cases by age 3. Permanent teeth start appearing at about age 6 and all of their 32 permanent teeth will be in by about age 21.
To help ensure that a lifetime of great oral hygiene habits do the following for your kids:
• Teach your children how to brush and floss correctly from the very beginning.
• Supervise brushing sessions and help with the flossing as this can be a challenge for small hands.
• Make sure that your children get enough fluoride, your dentists office can do this as a preventative treatment.
• Limit your children’s sugar consumption.
• For babies; to prevent “Baby bottle tooth decay” wipe their gums with gauze or a clean washcloth and water after feeding. When the teeth first appear, brush daily with a pea-sized dab of fluoride toothpaste.
• Once the baby goes to bed only put water in the bottle, never milk or juice.
• Schedule a dentist appointment for your child soon after their first few teeth are in so that they get used to visiting the dentist and so don’t fear going.
• With toddlers you can teach them a good oral care routine by involving the whole family and all brushing together at the same time each day.
• Speak to your pediatrician before and medication is prescribed to make sure that they won’t get stains from taking it.
• Give your children lots of healthy snacks like apples, carrots, raisins and yogurt.
• For your teenager it is never too late to learn the best habits. Schedule a time for your teenager to see the hygienist at your dentist’s office who will be only too happy to teach them the best techniques and habits.
• Encourage your active child to wear a sports guard while playing sports to protect their teeth.
• Make sure that your teen with braces brushes around the braces and uses a floss threader to remove all food particles.
• You can ask your dentist about dental sealants, which are painted onto the teeth by a dentist, for your child which is a further layer of protection against cavities.
• Buy your child a fun toothbrush and a toothpaste flavor that they enjoy to help make this healthy habit of brushing a fun one also.
Most children don’t love visiting the dentist, but you can help yours by teaching them great oral hygiene habits from the time that their first tooth shows up. Your child’s teeth begin to form before they even born and the first baby (primary) tooth cuts through the gums anytime from 4 months old.
There are a total of 20 baby teeth that will all be present in most cases by age 3. Permanent teeth start appearing at about age 6 and all of their 32 permanent teeth will be in by about age 21.
To help ensure that a lifetime of great oral hygiene habits do the following for your kids:
• Teach your children how to brush and floss correctly from the very beginning.
• Supervise brushing sessions and help with the flossing as this can be a challenge for small hands.
• Make sure that your children get enough fluoride, your dentists office can do this as a preventative treatment.
• Limit your children’s sugar consumption.
• For babies; to prevent “Baby bottle tooth decay” wipe their gums with gauze or a clean washcloth and water after feeding. When the teeth first appear, brush daily with a pea-sized dab of fluoride toothpaste.
• Once the baby goes to bed only put water in the bottle, never milk or juice.
• Schedule a dentist appointment for your child soon after their first few teeth are in so that they get used to visiting the dentist and so don’t fear going.
• With toddlers you can teach them a good oral care routine by involving the whole family and all brushing together at the same time each day.
• Speak to your pediatrician before and medication is prescribed to make sure that they won’t get stains from taking it.
• Give your children lots of healthy snacks like apples, carrots, raisins and yogurt.
• For your teenager it is never too late to learn the best habits. Schedule a time for your teenager to see the hygienist at your dentist’s office who will be only too happy to teach them the best techniques and habits.
• Encourage your active child to wear a sports guard while playing sports to protect their teeth.
• Make sure that your teen with braces brushes around the braces and uses a floss threader to remove all food particles.
• You can ask your dentist about dental sealants, which are painted onto the teeth by a dentist, for your child which is a further layer of protection against cavities.
• Buy your child a fun toothbrush and a toothpaste flavor that they enjoy to help make this healthy habit of brushing a fun one also.
