The importance of children’s teeth cannot be understated. Establishing a good oral health routine sooner rather than later can not only make them less likely to fall into bad habits in the future but it can be a huge benefit for their general health and well-being also.
It’s never too early for children to learn the importance of good oral hygiene. This includes twice daily tooth brushing, a healthy diet and regular dental visits. All three are really important for a child’s oral health and also have a positive effect on their overall health too.
Giving them a great start to life as far as their teeth are concerned is relatively simple and by following three simple steps, you can help make sure that your children’s teeth stay healthy for years to come.
- Get started early
Getting children into good, healthy habits early tends to lead to better health throughout the rest of their lives, this especially applies to their oral health.
As soon as a child’s “baby teeth” begin to appear, cleaning their teeth twice a day will help them get used to having a toothbrush in their mouth and start the process of getting them into a good routine. To begin with, using a piece of clean cloth wrapped around your finger might be easier. When more teeth begin to emerge, you can switch to a baby toothbrush.
- Toothbrushing and fun
Using a fluoride toothpaste is just as important for children, as it is for adults. It’s a huge benefit to our dental health because it strengthens tooth enamel, making it more resistant to tooth decay .
Getting children involved in looking after their oral health can sometimes be challenging, one simple way of doing this can be getting them to choose their own toothbrush. When you’ve got the right toothbrush and toothpaste, make sure that children are brushing for two minutes last thing at night before they go to bed and at least one other time during the day.
- Beware of sugary foods and drinks
Every single time we have anything containing sugar, our teeth are under attack for around an hour. Now, imagine giving a child a sugary treat or drink every few hours during the day. Their teeth would constantly be under attack!
A big mistake that many parents make is letting their children have a sugary drink or snack right before they brush their teeth and go to sleep. Our saliva flow reduces when we sleep and teeth will remain under attack for even longer. It may seem to make sense to brush straight away but try to avoid this. Since the acid formed when sugar meets the bacteria in dental plaque weakens the enamel (top surface of the teeth) of a child’s gnashes, brushing straight away can cause even more damage because you’d be brushing away the weakened surface. Give their teeth time to recover and then allow them to brush with a fluoride toothpaste right before they go to sleep.
Generally, a diet that is rich in vitamins, minerals, fresh fruit and vegetables will give children the best chance of preventing oral health problems like gum disease later on in life. Day to day, children should be having three meals and no more than two snacks. This is far better than frequent snacking between meals!