How To Raise Kids With Good Dental Health

Education might be one of the best gifts you can give you your kid, but good dental health is certainly a good contender for number two. You should be particularly careful with your kids' dental care at the time they are getting their first or second teeth. Here are some of the measures you should take to give them good pediatric dentistry care and health:

Take them to the Dentist Early

When is the best time to take your kid to their first dental checkup? Hint, it is not when they get their permanent teeth, lose a tooth or develop a dental problem. The best time for the first dental checkup is when the kid gets their first teeth. The dentist will screen the baby's teeth for problems and develop a schedule (that you should keep) for monitoring future dental developments.

Educate Them

You should also educate the kids on the benefits of dental hygiene, how to brush, how to floss, and what will happen to their teeth if they don't take care of them. You can use educational TV shows and videos, charts, mobile apps, and even books. The thing here is to identify the medium preferred by your kids and use it for their dental education.

Feed Them Well

No one should underestimate the effect of diet on dental health.  A good diet helps the teeth and gums grow healthy and heal fast in case of accidents, a bad diet will deny your kid's such benefits and may even encourage bacterial attacks on the teeth. Here are some dietary tips for good teeth:

  • Encourage the kids to drink lots of water
  • Limit sugary snacks
  • Give the kids balanced nutrition

Create a Dental Hygiene Routine

Kids thrive on routine; changing their dental hygiene care every now and again will just confuse them. Therefore, create a dental care routine and stick to it for as long as possible so that the kid can internalize the process. For example, if you help them brush after breakfast, this is what you should do every day. 

Lead By Example

Lastly, you should make it a point to take care of your teeth as well as you want the kids to do it. Your kids probably look up to you and long to be able to do all the things you do. Telling them to brush their teeth while you are content to go to bed without brushing and flossing will be confusing to them. In fact, they can easily start following your actions and not your words.

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