Good oral practices and habits during childhood lead to lifelong healthy gums and teeth. So Preventive Dentistry is all the more crucial and necessary for children. It is an established and proven fact that children with good oral health and healthy teeth are more alert and active as their healthy teeth and gums enable them eat and chew properly, thus making them healthy. Keeping this view in mind, American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors each February every year as National Children’s Dental Health Month.
Good oral health and healthy teeth not only make your child’s smile attractive but also boost and build up his confidence. By following below mentioned preventive measures you can ensure your child a lifetime of good oral health:
- Aware your child about the daily dental hygiene. Teach him to brush regularly, especially after meals or at least twice a day.
- Opt for child-friendly fluoride toothpaste with different flavors and colors, as fluoride strengthen their tooth enamel and resists decay.
- Teach your child the proper technique of brushing. As it helps removing plaque and results in healthier teeth and gums.
- Try different methods to encourage your child to floss daily, as it is the most dreaded dental practice.
- In case of up to 5 months old babies, remember to wipe their gums with gauze or clean wash cloth and water after every feeding.
- As soon as your baby’s first tooth appears, start a proper and daily cleansing regime and consult your dentist.
- Encourage your child to wear mouth guards while playing to protect his teeth from any potential harm.
- Consult your pediatric dentist for applying dental sealants (plastic protective coating) on the biting surfaces of our child’s back teeth as most of the cavities occur on these places. Studies also suggest that children with at least single sealant application have reduced the risk of tooth decay by 50%.
- Antibiotics can stain your child’s teeth. So consult your pediatrician before using any medication.
- Offer your child healthy, nutritious and balanced meals like; yogurt, vegetables and cheese as snacks.
- Avoid offering candies, sweets and carbohydrates like chips, pretzel as snacks because they stick to the tooth surface. Whenever your child consumes such sticky food, make him brush his teeth soon after.
- Take your child for regular dental check-ups for professional cleansing and oral exams. It further helps to remove plaque build-up on teeth.
- Fluoride treatments employed by dentists help to renew fluoride content in enamel, thus preventing cavities.
- Regular visits to dentists will also help to assess ongoing changes in child’s oral health like; he may need additional fluoride, changes in diets, sealants for proper dental health.
On this 64th National Children Dental Health Month, Contact Dr. Bikram Singh DMD for your children proper dental check-up; in order to fight back severe dental problems like tooth decay and cavities, so that they can continue brightening your world with their healthy, attractive and confident smiles. Our highly advanced children dentistry programs also include hygiene instructions and preventive measures for the parents, teachers and guardians.