Lancaster Pediatric Dentistry is dedicated to helping your son or daughter develop good oral health habits.
By starting early and becoming educated on nutrition, oral health and at-home dental hygiene, you can help ensure your child has a happy and healthy smile for life. We’ve shared some tips below, and will be happy to go through any of this in more detail at your next appointment!
Oral Health: Creating a Good Foundation
Developing a good oral health routine is one of the best things you can do for your child. If your son or daughter has a regular routine they can stick to, then the process becomes second nature to them. Once it becomes second nature to them, your youngster will hopefully carry those good habits with them for their entire lives.
Here are just a few things you can do to help create a good foundation for oral health with your child:
Make a set schedule: Have your child brush their teeth once in the morning and once at night at the same time every day.
Create a reward system: For every day, week or month that your child remembers to brush their teeth at every scheduled time, offer them a small reward or incentive to keep up the good behavior.
Show your child the proper techniques: If it’s necessary, take the time to show your child how to properly brush and floss teeth, and then have them demonstrate what you’ve just taught them back to you.
View our brushing & flossing tips & tricks
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Home Dental Hygiene: Tips & Tricks
After setting up a great foundation of oral health for your child, you can begin to implement various tips and tricks in home dental hygiene to help their oral health become even better. Here are a few things you may want to consider for your child’s home dental hygiene:
Use an electric toothbrush: Studies have shown powered toothbrushes with a back-and-forth rotation motion tend to be more effective than manual toothbrushes.
Use fluoride toothpaste: Fluoride is an excellent way to help build the strength of your child’s teeth.
Be thorough: Ensure your child not only focuses on taking care of their teeth, but their gums, tongue and cheeks as well.
Dental Abscess
Pediatricians and the medical community, in general, are finding there are significant links between the health of our bodies and the health of our mouths. Your child's teeth, soft tissues and bones in the mouth all need proper nutrition to develop properly. Poor nutrition can lead to increased cavities and many other oral problems. Research has shown that as children move into adulthood, they are 40% more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses throughout the body if they have ongoing gum disease.
The average American consumes nearly four times the daily recommendation for sugar. It would be hard to list every food and drink your family should avoid, especially since sugar is added to nearly every processed food. Empty calories like chips and sugary drinks like soda, and even many juices, should be cut entirely from our diets, or at least minimized as much as possible. Some foods can actually cause damage to your teeth, such as high-sugar-content foods and hard/sticky foods.
Quick Tips:
Swap out soda and juice with water. It gets easier with practice, we promise!
Eliminate junk food – such as chips and candy – and processed foods as much as possible.
Ice is for chilling, not chewing. Be kind to your teeth!
Candy in any form should be avoided as much as possible. Once the addiction is broken, most don't miss it.
Watch out for sports drinks; they contain more sugar than you realize!
Limit alcohol consumption. A hydrated mouth is a happy mouth!
Beware of things that go "crunch;" your teeth are tough but there's a limit!
Sticky foods, even dried fruits, are your mouth's worst nightmare!
Not all coffee is good for you! Stay hydrated after drinking it and avoid adding sugar.
Watch your citrus intake. Not only is citrus often sugary, but also very acidic!
Tooth enamel can be eroded down by consuming too much of these foods and beverages, which can lead to increased sensitivity and pain. It can also become the root cause for more serious problems like nerve damage or infection.
Our pediatric specialists can help!
As you can see, oral health, home dental hygiene and nutrition are all important educational topics to consider on behalf of your child. Lancaster Pediatric Dentistry is available to answer any questions you may have about oral health. You can contact us to schedule an appointment - regular checkups and appointments are just one of the many ways you can help your son or daughter have good oral health.
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