Top 5 Tips for your Child’s Daily Dental Routine

Parenting can be incredibly hectic! Staying on top of your own needs while caring for your child’s can become tricky. Try to follow these five tips to help maintain your child’s dental health and streamline daily routines.

Tip #1 – Enforce brushing with your child EVERY morning and at bedtime. Remember, children need help with their brushing until around 7 or 8 years of age. Supervision is important to teach good brushing technique and ensure all tooth surfaces are properly cleaned.

Tip #2 – Floss, floss, floss! Daily flossing helps remove plaque or food particles from between the teeth. If started at an early age if becomes second nature to children.

Tip #3 – Fluoride is important. Fluorides help to strengthen enamel, making teeth more resistant to cavities. Your child’s toothpaste and mouth rinse (if your child spits well) should both be delivery methods of fluoride. Tap water is another method. Professional fluoride treatments are administered at your child’s dental visits.

Tip #4 – Monitor your child’s diet. Diets high in sugar increase the likelihood of cavities. Sugary and acidic drinks, if given at all, should be given at mealtimes with fluoridated water in between times. After bedtime brushing, your child should not receive anything but water.

Tip #5 – Lastly, take your child to the dentist every 6 months. Your child’s dental professional can educate both you and your child and easily identify potential problems while providing preventive care.

By following these simple tips your child’s dental needs should be simplified while maximizing their dental care!

If your child doesn’t have a dentist he or she sees regularly, give us a call at Marshall Dentistry & Oral Surgery at 304-691-1247.