One of the most common pediatric ailments, tooth decay affects roughly 40% of kids before they reach 8 years old. In fact, tooth decay is more common than asthma and hay fever among kids ages four to twelve. But many of these cases could have been easily prevented from proper child hygiene as well as reinforcement from parents.
It’s never too early for a child to start practicing proper hygiene. Many dentists even advise brushing your child’s first teeth that sprout. Using a small piece of gauze, rub back and forth on the emerging teeth to scrub away any unwanted bacteria on the infant’s teeth. Likewise with flossing, most dentists advise flossing as soon as two teeth grow in right next to each other.
Additionally for infants (one to three), it is very important to avoid over-giving sugary beverages such as apple and grape juices. More than a glass a day of these juices promotes the growth of unwanted bacteria and can lead to the deterioration of the gums. If a child’s gums are compromised at a young enough age, it can affect the way their adult teeth will grow in and can lead to unnecessary procedures in the future of the child’s life. Pacifiers and thumb sucking can have a similar effect and can also create an overbite when the mouth is formed around any of these things for a long duration of time. If a bottle at bedtime is absolutely necessary, it’s much more beneficial to send a child to bed with water than any type of juice. This will prevent any overnight bacteria from forming and will also cleanse the mouth before the child falls asleep.
Typically speaking, once a child can tie their shoes with no assistance from their parents they are considered to have enough motor skills to brush their teeth without parental assistance. This is also the time where children should make consistent visits to their pediatric dentist. At your pediatric dentist office, dentists can get a good first glance at the child’s mouth and can provide parents with essential information on how to keep progressing towards a proper hygiene routine.
Last but not least, the most important part of your child’s routine is persistence as well as enforcing the routine. As a natural part of life, there will be things your children simply do not want to do. But, if it’s important to you that your children participate in teeth cleaning, you have to be able to put your foot down and make brushing and flossing the law of the land.
Overall, it’s not too difficult to install these habits in your kids, and over the long run your children will obviously look back and thank you. In fact, many kids find it fun to brush, floss, and rinse; seeing it as a game almost. But if your child is consistently reluctant, don’t be hesitant to call your dentist and have your child checked out to make sure they don’t have mouth problems that are keeping them from practicing these habits.