Once your child loses his or her baby teeth, permanent teeth will come on that will stick with your child for the rest of his or her life. Taking care of these teeth is extremely important. Deficiencies and mistakes in the oral care regime you implement and your kid adopts could permanently detract from both the health and appearance of your child’s smile.
With both dental health and general health, prevention is better than fixing problems that have already risen. The following are the three major factors of your kid’s oral care regime you need to focus on to put as much effort as possible into preventing dental problems and avoiding cosmetic blemishes on your child’s teeth. Make the right decisions when it comes to these important factors and your child should avoid severe dental and orthodontic issues into adulthood.
Foster good oral care habits
This is probably the most important- and also the most challenging- part of achieving a naturally clean and white smile for your children. Kids are not often eager to brush and floss on a daily basis. Your job is to explain why it’s important and to convince them that taking care of their teeth is in their best interest.
When your child first begin taking care of his or her teeth independently, you need to make sure they’re brushing properly and for a long enough time. Most dentists recommend that a good brushing should last at least two minutes. While brushing long enough is important, it’s also important to avoid over brushing. Brushing longer than three minutes is probably unnecessary and could be harmful.
Of course, flossing and using mouthwash everyday are also important for minimizing the presence of residue in the teeth that could cause tartar development and tooth decay.
When encouraging good dental care habits, you should also address the issue of your child’s diet. Encourage them to avoid too much sugar. One of the worst things you can do for your child when it comes to caring for his or her teeth is allow the development of an addiction to soda and other sugary beverages. Whenever possible, offer other beverage options. Ideally, you should completely avoid purchasing soda and leaving it in the house where it is accessible to children.
Take advantage of oral care products that make teeth care easy
It’s easier for both you and your child to make sure that a proper oral care regime is implemented with some products out on the market that maximize convenience. Brushing and flossing with traditional equipment can be time-consuming and cumbersome. The following are four great products for taking care of your child’s dental needs with maximum effect and efficiency:
- Electronic toothbrush- Electronic toothbrushes can make brushing easier and can also increase the productiveness of the time a child devotes to brushing. Some studies have indicated that certain types of electronic brushes- notably ionic brushes- are more effective at fighting plaque and reducing the risk of gingivitis than manually brushing. Shop around for a good electric toothbrush to make brushing easier and potentially more effective for your child.
- A deep-cleaning water flosser – Getting your child to floss is probably one of the most difficult aspects of instituting a health oral care regime. While brushing is usually quick and simple, flossing takes a little more time and precision. However, dentists stress the importance of flossing for preventing tooth decay and gum diseases. Flossing tools like water jet flossers and oral irrigators are great for making flossing more comfortable for kids. There are many such products on the market, so have a look at your options and find one that’s good for your child’s oral care regime.
- Ultra-effective mouthwash- If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your child’s oral care regime, any old mouthwash won’t do. Some mouthwashes are better than others. Ideally, you should look for a mouthwash that can prevent tartar build-up if you are looking for a good product for younger dental patients. However, it’s also a good idea to look for a mouthwash with fluoride added to reduce the risk of tooth decay.
- Teeth whitening kits that work well for kids- Some children develop yellowing teeth because they eat foods and drink beverages that are prone to staining the teeth. If teeth stains become a problem for your child, consider teeth whitening kits. Once your child reaches the age of 10, teeth whitening becomes a plausible option for correcting teeth that are not looking as white as they should be.
Scheduling regular dentist appointments and orthodontic care
After instituting good oral care habits, the most important thing you need to do for your child’s teeth is schedule regular dentist appointments. Your child should be getting in to see the dentist at least once a year. During these appointments, you dentist should be conducting a thorough cleaning and taking X-rays to make sure that the teeth are coming in to the mouth properly and to look out for developing cavities.
Another thing your dentist should be doing at appointments is inspecting to detect dental conditions like gum disease. Even young patients can develop gum diseases if bacteria is allowed to proliferate in their mouths.
If you’re taking your child in for regular dentist appointments, your dentist should be making recommendations regarding whether or not your child needs to also see an orthodontist. According to statistics, about 75 percent of children are recommended to pursue orthodontic care for orthodontic issues that might not be readily visible to the untrained eye. If your child is reaching his or her teenage years and you haven’t yet talked to the dentist about whether he or she needs braces, you should bring up the issue yourself and see what the dentist recommends.
