As a parent, paying close attention to dental things can help significantly to reduce cavities, gum diseases, and other dental problems for your children. Regardless of the age of the children in your home, instilling proper oral health is crucial for healthy gums and teeth well into adulthood. The more familiar you are with common dental things you need to keep an eye on as a parent, the easier it’ll be for you to pinpoint when the time is right to call or visit a dentist when your child’s teeth begin hurting or causing them discomfort.
Demonstrate Proper Oral Health Habits
When it comes to providing proper medical care for your children, you can start at home. Demonstrating proper oral health habits by taking care of your own teeth with flossing and brushing regularly is a way to instill the habits in your children. While you’re learning about dental things that can prevent common dental problems from occurring in your children, you’ll need to assess your own habits and behaviors, especially if you find it difficult to motivate your children to take brushing and flossing seriously.
You will also want to spend some time educating your children on the importance of brushing and flossing their teeth, beginning as soon as their teeth start to develop and come in. The younger your child learns how to take better care of their oral health, the less likely you are to encounter issues with cavities and gum problems later on. Read books, watch videos, and provide interactive games for your children to play as they learn the importance of taking care of their oral health each day, regardless of what they eat or their age at the time.
Brush and Floss With Your Children
It’s important to establish a morning, afternoon, and nighttime routine when you’re flossing and brushing. Ensure your children are aware of your habits and encourage them to join alongside you. Cooperating with your children as they learn to brush their teeth and build good habits is one of the most important dental things to keep in mind when you’re a parent to children or teens of any age.
While you’re attending standard dentist appointments for your children, your dentist may also suggest investing in musical toothbrushes to help your child brush long enough. Many musical toothbrushes today will play songs for 30 seconds to 120 seconds, or two minutes. Because it’s recommended to brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes each time, the musical toothbrushes can help your child ensure they’re not brushing too quickly or missing any teeth.
Find a Trusted and Reputable Dentist
Finding local dentists offices that you can trust is essential when you’re committed to demonstrating proper oral health to your children. A reputable dentist will help by providing routine X-rays, cleanings, and imaging as necessary to protect your children’s teeth, even if they do not have their adult teeth yet. When you want to establish a routine of visiting the dentist at least once every 6 months with the children in your home, you can begin researching local family dental offices with the use of referrals, local directories, and by conducting a search online.
While you’re researching dentists near you, keep in mind the type of insurance you have for your family and the children in your home. Depending on the type of insurance provider you are currently using, you may need to call them directly to inquire about the type of coverage you have available and which dentists are in your network. The more familiar you are with your insurance provider, coverage, and available dentists in your area, the easier it will be for you to schedule an appointment at a location you feel you can trust.
If you’re new to a location, and you want to learn more about dentists near you, it’s possible to do so by checking credentials, portfolios, and testimonials from past patients. You can often locate testimonials from verified patients online and with the use of third-party sites, such as Google (Google My Business). Social media is another way to discover more about various dental offices and providers near you who can assist with the pediatric dentistry you’re seeking or the orthodontic services you’re interested in, depending on the age of the children in the home.
Visit the Dentist Regularly
Similarly to scheduling physical exams for your children, you’ll also want to ensure they are visiting the dentist regularly. Regular dental appointments are some of the most important dental things you’ll want to remember when you’re in charge of your child’s oral health. Once your children begin developing teeth, you’ll want to visit a dentist at least once every 6 months, or twice a year, for optimal oral health.
Seeing a dentist once every six months with your children is a way for them to receive thorough cleanings, flossings, X-rays to monitor the health and development of any new teeth they have, which will vary with age. When you get to know a dentist by visiting them routinely, they will also become familiar with your child’s individual needs and potential concerns. Committing to a dentist throughout your child’s growing years can provide them with the best care possible as they develop into adolescents and adults.
Avoid Sugary Foods and Drinks
If you want to understand vital dental things, becoming educated on the link between sugar and the development of cavities is a must. If you want to mitigate dental repair needs or costs in the home, you can begin by providing healthy, whole, and natural ingredients to your children and all members of your household. Avoiding processed and refined foods, sugary drinks, and excessive amounts of sugar can assist in preventing the development of cavities and issues in the mouth, small or severe.
When you’re determined to stay away from dentists unless for routine check-ups, cleanings, and X-rays, you’ll want to become as informed as possible about nutrition and why proper nutrition matters for oral health. When shopping for foods, avoid foods that are overtly processed or developed with the use of refined carbohydrates. Stick to vegetables, fresh meats, nuts, and other items that are healthy and found in nature, including low-sugar fruits.
You can learn more about how to go about reading and interpreting food labels on your child’s favorite foods by doing so online and with the use of verified sources. Learn how to interpret macronutrients, micronutrients, and carbohydrates or sugar content in your foods to make wise decisions each time you head to the grocery store. The more educated you are regarding nutrition and diet, the easier it’ll be for you to prepare and provide nutritional meals and snacks for your household that are less likely to have a negative impact on oral health.
Encourage Your Child to Understand Nutrition
Another way to instill healthy lifelong oral habits into your children and teens is to do so by encouraging them to learn more about nutrition as young as possible. Becoming cognizant of ingredients, sugar content, and what refined carbohydrates are can help significantly when you’re shopping for groceries or even preparing meals with one another. You can also encourage your child to join you in the kitchen as young as when they’re toddlers to help them become more familiar with handling food and eating healthy ingredients.
When your child is familiar with healthy foods and ingredients, it’ll also be much easier for them to make wise choices regarding their diets as they grow older and become more independent. If your child has a positive view of healthy foods and ingredients, it’ll also be much easier to provide them with meals that aren’t detrimental to their body or oral health. Children who are raised with healthier foods and the understanding of meal prepping are also much more likely to take their dental health seriously as they grow older and begin making decisions for themselves.
Incentivize Your Child to Brush After Each Meal
When you’re making a list of important dental things that you’d like to pay more attention to as a parent, consider how you’re incentivizing your children to take care of their teeth and oral health. If you want to avoid making an appointment with a family dentist other than when a routine visit is scheduled, you’ll want to encourage your children to take bushing and flossing more seriously, especially after each time they eat a meal. You can begin demonstrating healthy oral habits by brushing and flossing your teeth to encourage your children to do the same.
You might also want to include regular brushing after a meal as part of your household’s routine. This will help get your child into the habit of brushing automatically, rather than putting it off or forgetting to brush and floss throughout the day altogether. Incentivize your child with chore charts or even free time to enjoy hobbies and activities when they pay attention to their oral health, even without prompting or reminding them to do so as their parents.
Educate Your Child About the Importance of Flossing
If you’re concerned about the rising costs of medical care or if you simply want your children to take their oral and dental health more seriously, you’ll need to reiterate the importance of flossing in addition to brushing after each meal. Explaining how flossing works, its purpose, and the potential damage food and buildup between teeth can cause is also essential when you’re educating your children on why oral health is so essential in everyday life.
When you’re making a list of important dental things you need to convey to your children, consider seeking local and online resources that might help your child better understand the gravity of taking care of their teeth and gums. You can use various books, pamphlets from a dental office, or even videos designed specifically to educate children on the science of maintaining proper oral health at any age, even when they are young and still growing.
Visit an Orthodontist
Similarly to when your child requires daycare, you’ll want to see a specialist dentist anytime your child is in need of orthodontic care. As your child reaches adolescence and has developed their adult teeth, it’s likely time to start thinking about the potential need for retainers, braces, or other teeth-straightening solutions, depending on your child’s tooth structure and formation as their adult teeth grow in. When you’re in need of a specialist, you can find an orthodontist using numerous resources involving your insurance agent and local listings, depending on your specific needs and the needs of your child or teen at the time.
Whenever you begin looking for an orthodontist, you can do so similarly, as when you seek eye care services, both locally and online. If you already have a family dentist you visit with your children, asking about referrals to other orthodontists in the area is one way to get a head start on the various providers near you. Calling your insurance agency or provider directly is also a way for you to inquire about the coverage you have and the available orthodontists near you based on their current insurance network.
You can also take additional time to compare orthodontists near you online if you’re interested in learning more about the types of services offered and provided at each office in your area and community. Read real testimonials from previous patients and turn to social media platforms such as Facebook to learn as much as possible about a local dental office or orthodontics before scheduling an appointment for your own children. Using social media can provide valuable insight into the overall reputation of a local orthodontist, which may help you feel more comfortable when the time comes.
The more aware you are of the most important dental things to remember as a parent, the easier it will be for you to tend to your child’s oral health needs. When you’re informed of the most crucial dental things that matter to prevent long-term problems for your children, you can take the steps necessary to mitigate and prevent risks. The right habits and routine can help significantly in protecting and preserving your children’s oral health for many years to come and well into adulthood, when they’re living independently on their own.