You might think you are doing plenty when it comes to protecting your child’s teeth, but the reality is that there’s always something extra we can do. Your children need to protect their teeth as they grow up and as parents, we can easily sit back and feel comfortable in the fact that they haven’t had their second lot of teeth come through, or because they are young they’ve got time on this side, so there’s plenty of time to change course. However, we need to change our attitudes towards the health of our children. Setting up our children with the right foundations now means they will grow far healthier and stronger than we ever did, especially when it comes to their teeth. What other things should we be doing beyond the basics to protect our children’s teeth?
Understanding the Importance of Preventive Maintenance
It’s not just about flossing and brushing twice a day, but about realising what the impacts are of not doing these things. Dentists such as the Mona Vale Dental Centre can provide a helping hand to ensure that your children understand the importance of being healthy with their oral hygiene. It’s not about scaring them, but it’s also about making them understand that poor habits now can result in gum disease, crooked teeth, and a lot of pain later on.
Looking at Children’s Medicines
It’s something we don’t necessarily consider but is a vital aspect of looking after our children’s oral health. If you’ve got a baby that needs Calpol or Nurofen, we think nothing of giving them medicine to ensure that they are feeling better but as far as our health is concerned, we’ve got to remember these are sweetened to make sure that our children drink them. If we want to minimise any trips to the dentist, we’ve got to make sure they brush their teeth afterwards or, at the very least, swish their mouth out properly with water. This is a fantastic habit that we could all get into because if we are consuming sugary foods or medicines that stick to our teeth, drinking water and swishing it around our mouths can start to undo some of the damage.
Using Teeth Brushing Time as a Way To Bond With Our Kids
Younger children may still ask after many years, “why do I need to brush my teeth again?” They may think that they don’t need to do it because they’ve not seen you do it, and this is why it’s a fantastic idea to start using teeth brushing time as a way to bond with our children better. Both of you standing at the sink, looking in the mirror, and brushing your teeth in the morning will do a lot to ensure that you are both looking after your oral health and setting a great example. Your children are going to learn much more from how you brush your teeth than they would from you telling them what to do.
We need to do more to protect our children’s teeth. These are a few lesser-known aspects, but they are just as important.
