If you think back to when you were a child, it is likely that you didn’t like brushing your teeth. Most children avoid brushing their teeth as if it was the plague. It’s boring. It requires them to sit in the same place while running a toothbrush back and forth over their teeth. Children do not appreciate how important good oral hygiene is in maintaining a healthy smile. Kids don’t care. But parents do.
For this reason, good parents take the initiative in teaching their child how to care for their teeth and how to prevent cavities. Parents realize that early education is really an investment in their child’s health that is going to pay off for the rest of their life.
This early investment in oral hygiene for your children pays off in two ways. The first and obviously most important way is that it keeps your child’s mouth healthy. No parent wants to watch their child endure the pain of having a cavity, having a chipped tooth, or enduring an uncomfortable dental procedure to repair tooth damage.
The second reason why this investment is good is because it is a financial one. Some dental procedures can be expensive. It doesn’t matter if the procedure is being performed on a child or on an adult.
The best thing that parents can do when it comes to teaching their children about good oral hygiene is set the example. Children by nature imitate what they see. So, if they see their parents taking care of their teeth, the child realizes that protecting the teeth is something that is to be valued. Another thing that parents can do is make brushing teeth fun. Buy your child their own toothbrush. Let them choose the toothbrush that they want. All of these things encourage proper oral hygiene.
Parents should encourage their children to brush their teeth twice a day using a toothpaste that has been approved by the American Dental Association. Brushing your teeth twice a day removes plaque, which is the primary reason why you have tooth decay.
You should floss your teeth every single day to remove plaque from between your teeth and gum line. Show your child how to do it as well. If your child does not remove plaque, it will turn into tartar. Tartar, which is very hard, can only be removed by a professional.
In addition to showing your child how to clean their teeth, help them understand what steps they can take to prevent damaging substances from getting on their teeth in the first place. Part of that includes having a well-balanced diet that is not full of starchy or sugary food.
Parents should take the lead in bringing their children to the dentist for regular checkups. If parents start teaching their children about oral hygiene early in life, they will set a pattern that will benefit the child for the rest of their life. Set up an appointment for your child at Ashburn Children’s Dentistry to get them started on the right track. Our office in Ashburn is kid-friendly, inviting, and fun. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for your little one.
