One of the most important responsibilities we have as adults is keeping our teeth healthy. The responsibility to keep our children’s teeth healthy is equally important, but this can sometimes be difficult to do. Statistics show that over 40 percent of children have dental cavities by the time they reach kindergarten. If left untreated, cavities can lead to further dental problems as the child grows older, which can potentially lead to them missing school due to dental pain. This article will look at several tips for what you can do to keep your child’s teeth as healthy as possible.
- Take Your Child to the Dentist at Least Twice a Year: One of the most important tips for keeping your child’s teeth healthy is to take them to the family dentist for preventative care at least twice a year. It’s recommended that we go see the dentist every six months for cleanings and X-rays to make sure the teeth are in good condition. By going every six months, it’s easier for the dentists to monitor potential cavities and treat them once they are discovered.
- Encourage Daily Brushing and Flossing: Another tip for keeping your child’s teeth healthy is to encourage daily brushing and flossing. At minimum, our teeth should be brushed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, and flossing should be done once a day. For younger children, who might resist brushing or flossing their teeth, you can encourage them by making a game of it, or by using a colorful, flavored toothpaste that will help your child look forward to brushing their teeth instead of dreading it.
- Don’t Keep a Lot of Candy in the House: A third tip for keeping your child’s teeth healthy is to not keep a lot of candy in the house. If children have open access to candy, it drastically raises the risk that they’ll develop cavities and other dental problems. That’s not to say that children can’t have candy occasionally as a treat, but a large supply shouldn’t be kept in the house.
- Use Sealants Once Your Child’s Adult Molars Come in: A fourth tip for keeping your child’s teeth healthy, if all else fails, is to have the dentist place sealants on your child’s back teeth. Sealants, according to the ADA are a material placed on the teeth, usually the back teeth, as a means of preventing tooth decay. Typically sealants are placed on adult teeth once they emerge. There’s no point in using sealants on baby teeth because they’ll eventually fall out and be replaced no matter what problems develop in them.
In conclusion, there are several tips you can follow for keeping your child’s teeth healthy. These tips include taking your child to the family dentist at least twice a year, encouraging daily brushing and flossing, not keeping a lot of candy in the house, and using sealants (if necessary), once your child’s adult molars come in. These are all things that can help keep your child’s teeth healthy.
