Oral care is one of the most important aspects one mustn’t forget about in keeping their overall health in good condition. That’s why it’s crucial to practice good oral hygiene if you want to avoid all sorts of health issues and illnesses. However, despite its importance, a lot of people still suffer from oral diseases, especially in children.
Believe it or not, your kid becomes at risk of tooth decay and other oral problems at the tender age of six months. As soon as their first teeth appear, they become prone to tooth decay or what’s called ‘baby bottle tooth decay. To better protect your child’s teeth, you have to take them to the dentist regularly.
Such professionals can perform infant dental exams and other types of dental assessments to know the condition of their young patients’ teeth. Apart from that, there are many ways for you to take care of your child’s teeth. Keep reading to find out what they are.
Improving Children’s Oral Health
Having a healthy set of teeth is one of the secrets to a bright and confident smile among adults. Of course, that means keeping one’s teeth in excellent condition should start during childhood.
As a parent, you need to know how to care for your child’s oral health. While they may lack adequate knowledge about proper oral care, you can always teach them about the proper measures to take in order to maintain their beautiful smile. In doing so, you can help them prevent oral infection, oral diseases, and other dental issues.
To boost your kid’s oral health and minimize their chances of encountering oral problems, follow these tips:
1. Promote Good Oral Care Habits
When it comes to encouraging your child to keep their oral health in check, you must first teach them about the proper ways to care for their teeth. For them to understand the importance of developing good oral care habits, you must tell them about the consequences of having poor oral health.
Proper oral hygiene is one of the key factors for keeping one’s teeth as healthy as possible. It could also help increase their confidence and self-esteem. Ideally, you must practice dental hygiene with your child when they’re still a baby.
In brushing their teeth, you should opt for a soft, child-sized toothbrush that’s appropriate for their age. You also need to brush your kid’s teeth twice a day to prevent cavities.
Aside from that, use a small amount of toothpaste when brushing their teeth for optimal results. While some parents would choose an option that doesn’t have fluoride in it.
you must know that a small amount of fluoride won’t pose any harmful effects on children younger than six months. However, it might not be safe for your child if they accidentally swallow it, so you may avoid using such products in the meantime.
When your child’s old enough to know how to spit out toothpaste, then you can allow them to switch to one with fluoride. But you must first take note of the following:
- For children under two years of age, it’d be better to make them use an amount of toothpaste the size of a grain of rice.
- For children ages two up to four, you may allow them to use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
- Children ages five and above can use a bean-sized amount.
You also need to teach your kid how to spread the toothpaste evenly on their gums, teeth, and tongue. This could help lessen the number of bacteria in the mouth and prevent toothaches.
2. Remind Them To Floss Once A Day
Flossing is one of the most efficient ways to achieve good oral health. Apart from getting rid of food particles that may be stuck between one’s teeth, flossing is crucial in removing plaque and bacteria in the mouth.
While many people tend to forego incorporating flossing in their oral care routines, note that it could significantly prevent any risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Not only that, but flossing helps prevent tartar buildup and lessens the likelihood of having bad breath.
As a rule of thumb, your kid must floss their teeth once a day before bedtime to remove any remnants of food. You may also teach them to use floss picks and other similar options.
3. Consider Fluoride Treatment
If you think that nothing seems to be working for your child’s teeth, you may schedule them for a fluoride treatment. While this may be considered one of the lesser-known alternatives for oral care, it’s worth mentioning that fluoride plays a significant role in preserving the optimal condition of one’s teeth.
If you’re wondering about how this particular treatment could benefit your child, fluoride is known to relieve the cavities in toddlers’ primary teeth and adults’ permanent teeth. It could also strengthen your kid’s teeth with its calcium compounds.
In most cases, children can get some fluoride by drinking water. If you want to keep it that way, you mustn’t use reverse osmosis water filters as they could remove fluoride from the water.
Keep in mind, though, that the amount of that mineral in water isn’t sufficient for the prevention of dental problems, so brushing and flossing are still a must.
For those whose supply of water doesn’t contain fluoride, you may choose to give your child an oral fluoride supplement. But as previously stated, you mustn’t allow them to swallow it, and it’s best to consult a dentist to know if your child can or should take such supplements.
4. Limit Their Consumption Of Sugary Foods
One of the most common reasons behind tooth decay and other symptoms of oral diseases is the excessive consumption of sugary foods and drinks. Starchy foods might also bring more harm than good to your child’s oral health and could increase the risk of cavities.
To save your kid from such threats, you must control their intake of those foods as much as possible. While one’s body might require a certain amount of sugar and starch to function well, too much of anything would ultimately be bad for your kid’s health, including their oral health.
As a general rule, you must stop them from eating sticky gum, candy, fruit pops, and gummy vitamins as these contain the highest number of sugar components that could erode the teeth’ natural enamel.
The small remnants of sugar left in their teeth also serve as a food source for bacteria, which often lead to tooth decay and the accumulation of tartar. Take note that the longer sugar stays on one’s teeth, the longer the period that bacteria have to grow and replicate.
You should teach your child to rinse their mouth and drink plenty of water as well. Have them brush their teeth after every meal to wash away food debris.
5. Set A Balanced Diet For Them
In addition to limiting your kid’s intake of sugar, you shouldn’t forget about improving their eating habits. You have to closely monitor their nutritional intake as it could also affect their oral health.
While some people may not know it, a child’s dietary intake and eating patterns pose significant impacts on their teeth. To help them follow a healthy diet, provide them with dairy products, leafy greens, and calcium-rich foods.
In particular, here are some of the ideal food options for your kid’s oral health:
- Celery
- Carrots
- Apples
- Pears
- Nuts
- Lean meat
- Fatty fish
- Cheese
- Milk
- Yogurt
Other nutrients like copper, zinc, iron, potassium, vitamin B complex, and vitamin D are equally advantageous when it comes to boosting oral health.
6. Avoid Soda And Fruit Juice
You have to make sure that your child doesn’t drink too much fruit juice and soda. Although fruit juices can be considered healthier alternatives to soda.
know that some of them contain a high amount of sugar, which is bad for your kid’s oral health. In some cases, both fruit juices and soda could have around 110 calories and 20-26 grams of sugar per cup or the equivalent of 240 ml.
Most commercial fruit juices contain added sugar, which increases the bacteria and plaque buildup in one’s mouth. The sugar could coat your kid’s teeth, affect its natural enamel, and serve as a breeding ground for bacteria.
Despite their name, store-bought fruit juices may have lost their nutritional components during the manufacturing process, so fresh fruit juices are still the best option.
Meanwhile, drinking soda could also affect your child’s oral health in many ways. Not only do these carbonated drinks have high sugar content, but they also contain phosphoric acids that could wear down the enamel in the teeth and result in a tooth cavity, sensitivity, and tooth discoloration.
For better oral hygiene, encourage your child to drink plenty of water or milk instead.
7. Change Their Toothbrush Regularly
The quality of your child’s toothbrush may also affect their oral health. This is because it could have bacteria and germs if not replaced for a long time. You must change your kid’s toothbrush every three months or when it doesn’t seem to be serving its purpose anymore.
Due to the bacteria buildup in an old toothbrush, your child may also suffer from mouth sores, bad breath, and other types of oral diseases.
Also, frayed bristles prove to be less effective in cleaning teeth than those in good condition. You can change their toothbrush sooner when the bristles start to fray or lead to mouth sores.
8. Get Regular Cleanings
Of course, seeing a dentist is essential in caring for your kid’s pearly whites. If you’re having second thoughts, perhaps because of the cost involved.
know that just because your child’s teeth look good, it doesn’t always mean there’s no bacteria or plaque buildup due to poor oral care. Also, not all symptoms of oral diseases are immediately apparent, so it’s crucial to take your child to a dentist.
Preferably, your child must see their dentist every six months for a thorough checkup. One of the many good things about setting a dental appointment for your child is that it allows the dentist to detect any developing oral issue through X-rays. You can also let your child get routine cleaning during the visit.
Despite the fees you’ll have to deal with, having such processes done could help prevent any lasting or severe oral diseases and improve your kid’s oral health.
9. Look Into Dental Sealants
If you’re considering unconventional yet beneficial alternatives for your child’s oral health, you may have them get dental sealants.
This is a type of oral care treatment that involves the use of fillings to protect the teeth’ chewing surface from cavities and cover them with a protective layer to keep out germs and food particles.
Any fissure or crack in one’s teeth could be a breeding place for bacteria, so this option would be of great help in addressing such issues. Also, dental sealants could provide tremendous benefits in protecting your kid’s teeth from 80% of cavities for up to four years.
10. Teach Them About Living A Proper Lifestyle
Unhealthy lifestyles and improper habits are some of the most common factors behind oral diseases. These may include consumption of harmful substances and smoking tobacco or cigarettes.
Smoking could lead to various oral issues, which may include:
- Bad breath
- Tooth discoloration
- Swollen salivary glands
- Plaque and tartar buildup
- Bone loss in the jaw
- Leukoplakia
- Gum diseases
- Tooth loss
Talking to your child about the dangers of smoking could help prevent them from doing it in the future. You should also make them aware of the potential health issues they could get from the habit to better deter them.
At an early age, you should teach your kid about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle to lessen the risks of contracting diseases and illnesses.
Key Takeaway
While it’s common for children to experience toothaches, there are actions you can take to minimize instances of that problem and others similar to it.
These include seeking help from dentists to better maintain your child’s oral health. Also, try any or all of the tips above to prevent the risk of oral disease and make caring for your child’s teeth much easier.