Excellent oral health not only helps you have an enviable smile, but it also helps you chew well, eat better, enjoy good nutrition and maintain good oral hygiene that has a positive impact on your overall wellbeing.
If you inculcate good oral hygiene habits in your family it will keep your loved ones’ smiles safe, as well as save you thousands of dollars. You very well know that restorative dental care is expensive so the best you can do is maintain your gums and teeth in good health.
If you have children in your family remember that they pick up oral care habits from you. Teaching them right will help your kids enjoy healthy teeth and beautiful smiles for a long time to come.
Here are a few tips for you to keep your family smiling healthy, safe and happy.
1. Schedule Regular Visits to the Dentist
Regular visits to the dentist are the single most effective way to prevent cavities and gum problems. It is important that you teach your kids the importance of being regular with dental checkups.
Your dentist will be able to spot plaque and tartar buildup in time, and remove them completely. This will put a stop to bacterial growth and activity, and prevent cavities from forming and gums from bleeding.
Dentists are also able to spot a range of other diseases whose first symptoms often appear as dental health issues. They will be able to suggest treatment or will refer you to other specialists.
In the case of children, it is important that your dentist regularly checks for cavities and decay. He will advise sealants to protect molars that appear by the age of six in kids. The dentist will also suggest fluoride treatments if he suspects that your little one is deficient in the cavity-fighting mineral.
Another benefit is that children learn the importance of being regular with dental visits. Professionals at Professionals at Meridian General and Family Dentistry make it a point to explain the basics of oral health to your kids. This ensures there is no hesitation in their minds in scheduling a dental health checkup when they grow up.
2. Follow a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy and safe lifestyle is the biggest gift that you can give your kids. Kids naturally tend to get accustomed to the lifestyle they follow at home. If they see their parents eat timely and wholesome meals, and exercise and enjoy the outdoors, they too tend to do the same.
Make sure that you do not stock on aerated drinks and try to limit snacks like candies and chips. These food items are sugar-loaded and are not healthy. The sticky sugars present in them will speed up bacterial activity and dental decay, and damage your little ones’ teeth. Crackers and pretzels are fine and are not as damaging.
Introduce a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and ensure that your kids learn to enjoy them. This might seem tough but if you are persistent and are innovative, you can definitely make healthy foods a part of your family’s daily diet. Also, it is important you too enjoy the healthy and nutritious food. If your children see parents enjoying fried snacks and sugary beverages, it will be hard to get them to follow a different routine.
Avoid eating before going to bed. Late night snacks, no matter whether you munch on an apple or rich pastry, encourage dental decay. There is reduced saliva production in the mouth at night and as a result food particles stay lodged in the mouth enabling bacterial activity. So ensure you do not let late-night snacking be a habit in your family.
3. Make Brushing Fun for Kids
Brush twice a day and floss regularly. Try to make brushing less of a chore and more of fun for your little ones. Let them choose the color of their toothbrushes and ensure that you rotate toothpastes with different flavors so that the routine becomes exciting. Praise your kids when they are regular with their brushing habits and reward them for their efforts.
4. Protect Children’s Teeth from Accidents
Children participating in contact sports are vulnerable to falls and accidents that can damage their teeth. Sometimes teeth break off or become loose as a result of collisions or blows on the playground. It is important that you are aware of what needs to be done on such occasions. Dentists recommend if the tooth has fallen off you gently wash it in cold water and hold it in place in the empty socket until you reach the hospital. You can also put in cold milk or a vial of sterile saline solution and take it to the hospital. This prevents drying out of dental roots. A plastic wrap can also help keep the ligament cells on the dental root moist.
If your child participates in sports, it is important that you get him or her a protective mouth guard. You can also request your dentist to have one custom made for your child.
Conclusion
It is necessary that you take special care to inculcate good oral hygiene habits in your kids. This is one gift that will last them a lifetime and one that they will be thankful for forever.