Welcome back to the ongoing dental health blog of the Bayou Dental Group from our office in Monroe, LA. At our state-of-the-art practice, we always try to stress the importance of family dental care. Today we’d like to share a few tips and tricks you can use with your family to ensure everyone in your family has a healthy mouth.
If you have children, you’ve probably already realized that benefits that routines can bring to your life. The same is true for dental care. If you’re struggling with your children’s oral hygiene, try and put them on a routine. That means eating and brushing at the same time each day.
You can even use oral hygiene as a family routine. Some of our patients have had great success by using sticker charts. Essentially, you make a chart and your child gets a sticker every time they brush and floss without complaining. After a set number of stickers, say thirty, the child earns a reward of some kind.
It’s also important to try and make brushing and flossing fun for kids. There are any number of themed brushes and flossers on the market; little things that can have a big impact on your child’s dental care. Recently, we came across a Star Wars themed brush that includes flashing lights. The lights work as a timer, so your child knows how long he needs to brush.
Although brushing and flossing are of huge importance, other things can have an impact as well. You should watch the sugar intake of the beverages your children drink; even healthy drinks like orange juice can contain a tremendous amount of sugar. Sugar is the archenemy of oral hygiene.
Well it’s great to drink juice, make sure your child at least rinses their mouth after drinking it. Some juices actually have more sugar than the average can of soda! We recommend having your children drink water throughout the day. Save the milk and juice for meal times. Water has a tremendous amount of positive benefits, outside of just their oral health.
Speaking of meal times, it’s fairly natural to want to snack through out the day. But snacks can also be packed with sugar. Rather than feed them chips or candies, stock up on fruits and vegetables instead. The vitamins and minerals packed into them can have an immediate benefit on your child’s teeth and overall health. Best of all, high fiber foods can actually greatly reduce their chances of tooth decay.
But even the best habits and routine are not enough to ensure your child has completely healthy teeth. For that, you need to make sure your child is visiting the dentist at least every six months.
During a routine appointment, we can check your children’s teeth for early signs of decay. Early detection is vital in the struggle against tooth decay. We can also clean their teeth, take x-rays if necessary, and provide them with great advice for cleaning their teeth.
Your family’s dental health is important; trust the professionals at Bayou Dental Group to ensure they have a great looking smile!