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Sunday, December 14, 2008

Four Ways to Take Care of Your Kids' Dental Health

Next to obesity, dental care for kids is one of the crucial health concerns for parents. According to recent health statistics, at least one-fourth of American kids between the ages of two and five and half of the kids between 12 and 15 have some sort of dental problem. How can you keep your kids’ mouth healthy?

1. A stitch in time saves nine. For the first few days immediately after your baby is born, make sure you wash the mouth of your baby regularly. Use a wet washcloth to clean your baby's gums after every meal. When it is time for the baby's teeth to erupt, use fluoridated toothpaste and a soft brush to brush the teeth of your baby gently.

2. Involve your kids in an oral healthcare program at a very early age. Involving your kids with a pediatric dentist at an early stage will make sure that your kids take good care of their teeth. Starting from your kid's first birthday, you should schedule a regular oral health appointment with the dentist. Make sure that they brush their teeth regularly twice a day, once in the morning and again at evening or night.

3. Teach your kids proper brushing techniques. Tell your kids that it is essential that they regularly spit out the toothpaste after the brushing is over! If they are too young to spit the toothpaste on their own, they should use non-fluoridated toothpaste until they are old enough to spit out the toothpaste all by themselves. In fact, as soon as your kid is two or three years old, you should start teaching them proper brushing techniques. You should also teach them how to floss gently. As your kids become older, they will be able to do it all by themselves!

4. Teach your kids how to eat properly: Teaching your kids good eating habits and advising them to avoid eating junk foods such as chocolates and candies will go a long way in keeping their teeth in good health. Find healthy recipes at Fitness and Kids.

Teaching your kids the value of maintaining good oral health is key. As a parent, insist that your kids follow good oral hygiene rules. Taking these steps will make sure that your kids don't suffer from diseases such as gingivitis or cavities later in life.

5 comments:

BrioII said...

Our family company makes Gripit Floss Holders - www.gripit.biz. We have parents tell us they use Gripits to floss their children's teeth so they don't have to put adult fingers into small mouths. The kids then want to try it themselves with a Gripit and a good lifetime flossing habit is formed.

Anonymous said...

I would just say be careful with fluoride consumption, especially for kids.

I agree that consuming small amounts of sugar and candy greatly affects the health of a child's teeth. But it will also keep a child healthy overall if they don't eat a lot of sugar.

Processed foods are a huge culprit. Check out the ingredients of most processed foods. There really isn't anything healthy on the label.

Kids need to be healthier these days and we need the parents to set the example by providing healthy foods, pure water and by doing kids exercise activities.

mercury free dental care said...

When I was a kid, I eat candies and chocolates in moderation, which is why I don't have any cavities and tooth decay. I hope a lot of children do the same.

childrendentistsca said...

Children also need for their teeth to be cared for. In fact, the moment children develop their teeth, parents should think about taking their children to children's dentists to assess their teeth and also administer proper care to them.

child dental care

Donnie Smith said...

Dental issues should always be accepted with high importance. affordable dental implants cancun Kids dental health is so important.