Top Tips to Follow to Ensure Your Child’s Dental Health Is Maintained

It can be pretty difficult to manage to get your kids to look after their teeth. Many children don’t like having to brush their teeth at all, never mind morning and at bed time! But there are some things you can do, to make this task a little easier, ensuring that your child’s dental health is maintained, lessening any future dental issues that may arise. Let’s have a look:

Get an Early Head start:

It is never too early to start brushing your child’s teeth. As soon as they start to emerge, using a soft bristled brush is recommended. As the child gets older, turning this time into a little game can help ease their fears about having their teeth brushed. There are even little songs you can sing, an example of which can be found on Youtube, by the mega popular kids entertainer, Blippi. Making this time fun for kids, means they will look forward to having their teeth brushed daily.

Visit A Dentist Early:

It is recommended that you bring your child to visit a dentist by the time they reach their first birthday. This way, any potential issues can be identified early on. Also, making this a regular excursion means that it becomes routine for the child, removing some of the fears that can build up in their minds. Your child will become familiar with the dentist, and will not be as nervous. Also, you can pick up some top tips on best practise for brushing and flossing techniques.

Dump that Soother!

This is a very important step for your child’s oral health. Soothers can have a big impact on your child’s tooth alignment, and it can also affect their speech development also. Having tooth alignment issues can cause bite irregularities into later years, so removing the soother (As hard as this may be!) is a good idea, as soon as you can.

Limit Sugary Drinks & Snacks:

A no brainer of sorts, limiting access to sugary drinks & snacks will help ensure that your child’s teeth are in tip top shape, combined with regular brushing and dental appointments.  Consuming these kinds of things promotes bacteria growth in the mouth, which can be erosive to the tooth enamel. If using sugary drinks, try watering them down to lessen the impact on the tooth’s surface. You can also try swapping out fruit for sugary snacks.

Avoid Night Time Bottles After Brushing:

Following on from the last point, night time bottles are a really bad idea for your toddler or baby, as the tooth’s surface will be coated with the contents all night long. This can lead to erosion over time.

Starting Good Habits Early:

As soon as your child can, it is a good idea to get them to start brushing their own teeth. You may need to guide them a little, but with practise, they will be more than capable.