Every child needs to have a healthy smile. For that to happen, parents need to be aware of their children’s oral care, such as regular brushing and flossing. You also want to examine your child’s teeth and provide the necessary treatments regularly. A healthy smile may boost your kid’s confidence and help them get the best out of life. Knowing how to obtain that healthy smile and maintaining it can be a challenge. Here are seven tips for helping your kid maintain a healthy smile.
1. Remind Your Child to Floss and Brush Daily
It’s always a good idea to floss your child’s teeth. The dentist recommends starting at the back of your child’s teeth and working your way toward the front. This is important because plaque builds up in the spaces between teeth, making them more susceptible to decay and gum disease. This build-up leads to cavities that can cause serious damage, such as tooth loss and inflammation of the gums.
Ensure your kid brushes their teeth twice a day. Many parents forget to brush their kids’ teeth, leading to tooth decay and a diseased smile. Make sure your kid is brushing two minutes each time, as long as the toothbrush isn’t too hard or too soft.
2. Feed Your Kid a Healthy Diet
It’s hard for a child to maintain a healthy smile if they don’t eat healthily. You must ensure your kid’s diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. Parents often don’t pay enough attention to their kids’ diets and overindulge in sweets, which can lead to cavities. You should also make sure your child is getting enough vitamins. Consuming sugary food leads to tooth decay and poor oral health.
3. Take Your Child to the Dentist Regularly
Most people know the importance of regular visits to the dentist, but only a few take advantage of it. You should take your kid for regular checkups every six months. This allows time for your child’s teeth to be cleaned and checked for signs of decay. Later on, this will help you prevent tooth decay and gum disease from affecting your kid’s smile in the future.
Also, children should have their teeth cleaned every time they visit the dentist. Dentists check your child’s teeth by examining the condition of the gums and examining them with an x-ray. If there are any signs of decay, they will get early treatment.
4. Get Orthodontic Treatment for Misaligned Teeth
The teeth partly determine a person’s smile. If your kid is missing or has crooked teeth, this can lead to a poor oral and facial smile. Orthodontics is a good treatment for aligning children’s teeth, giving them a better smile that will boost their confidence.
Children should be referred to the dentist at the earliest sign of crooked teeth. This avoids the need for additional corrective measures such as braces. In the early stages, the doctor may recommend Invisalign treatment. This tool treats misaligned teeth by applying a series of clear plastic braces. The doctor will need to switch the aligner every few weeks so you can straighten your kid’s teeth. To get quality services, ensure you perform some research online to help you find the best orthodontist in NYC.
5. Teach Your Kid the Importance of Flossing
Teaching your child the importance of flossing is one of the easiest ways to maintain a healthy smile. By brushing your teeth regularly, you remove plaque and food particles in between your teeth which are harmful to your oral health. You should teach your kid to floss daily because they are most likely not doing it while at school. This ensures they’re removing harmful bacteria from their mouth, preventing major causes of tooth damage such as cavities and gingivitis.
6. Get a Fluoride Treatment
Your kid should be given fluoride treatment regularly. This prevents tooth decay by strengthening the enamel and helps to protect your kid’s teeth from harmful acids in the mouth. For kids younger than two, fluoride is usually administered through toothpaste.
For instance, fluoride is administered through mouth rinse for children under eight. Fluoride is also added to toothpaste and gels for children above that age. Make sure your kid receives fluoride treatment at least twice daily, as their dentist recommends.
7. Tell Your Kid to Avoid Eating Hard Objects
Many people don’t realize that something as simple as biting hard candy can cause damage to teeth. The child’s bite and jaw muscles move at different rates. The bite force is often too strong, causing your kid’s teeth to break or chip. This can lead to tooth loss.
Encourage the kid to consume soft foods and avoid chewing on hard candies. Teeth are made to bite, but they are not made to crack or chip.
Conclusion
It’s easy for parents to forget these important oral care tasks, but there are ways to ensure your kids maintain a healthy smile. Remind your kid to floss, brush and see their dentist regularly. You can also get them started on a fluoride treatment at an early age.
