Ensuring that our children get a sound start with lasting dental health requires an early start. While a steady brushing and flossing schedule is certainly a good start, it’s essential to make sure that they’re doing it properly. Making this happen means taking the time to teach them how long to brush and the appropriate methods for doing so. Combining these habits with regular visits to the dentist can ensure their smile is shining and beautiful for their entire lives. We’ve got some tips on getting started early to give them the best chance at a lifelong smile.
Lasting Oral Health Requires Engaging Your Children
It can often be a significant challenge to get your child invested in healthy habits as any parent knows. This fact is true whether you’re talking about maintaining a healthy diet or keeping up with their oral health care. To help your kids get off to a good start, we’ve provided the answers to some common questions we receive from concerned parents:
- When is a good time to introduce oral health education?
- Which aspects of dental hygiene should I focus on?
- What are the actual sources of cavities, and how can they be avoided?
- What steps can I take to ensure my children retain this information?
There’s a simple way to give yourself an edge on this process, and that’s getting started with oral health education as soon as possible. The child’s first appointment should occur before their first tooth appears. There are many concerns that your dentist can identify before the first tooth erupts. This is also an excellent way of normalizing dental visits for your child.
Getting started early works so well because children tend to be quite impressionable. New concepts and information are internalized rapidly at this age, which helps the information be retained. Many children demonstrate a drive to be perceived as ‘big kids .’ You can emphasize this point to help keep them interested and engaged. The end result will be a higher chance of incorporating these practices as part of their normal day.
There’s no information about oral health that you should actively withhold from your child. However, different children will demonstrate different amounts of interest and comprehension of the information provided. Your best approach is to let them lead the way once you broach the subject. When they ask questions, answer them, starting with the basics. If they ask for more information, continue to provide it until they lose interest or seem satisfied. You can build upon it when they ask more questions if you start with the basics.
A Simple Primer For Oral Health
You need to explain to your child that teeth are not forever if not taken care of. Tell them that caring for their teeth now will ensure that they develop healthy adult teeth. Let them know that when their primary teeth fall out, they’ll make room for their adult teeth. Then be sure to let them know that taking care of their teeth and gums is important, so they don’t lose these teeth. Don’t be afraid to use the internet to demonstrate what happens with poor oral health care.
At this stage, you should already have been keeping them on a steady routine of brushing their teeth. This step is to help cement the reasons why and get them engaged with their own oral hygiene practices. If you’d like more help keeping your children involved with maintaining their oral health, reach out to your dentist today!
