Special thanks to Plackers for making this post possible. All opinions are my own.
Did you know that the health of your teeth and gums can have a direct impact on your overall health? It’s true! If you have kids, you also know that it isn’t always easy to help them develop good oral hygiene habits. When they are younger, they’d rather be doing any one of eleventy-billion other things than spend two minutes brushing and flossing. Yes, I made up that number. While establishing healthy dental habits for kids isn’t always the easiest thing to do, it is totally doable. Here are some tips to help your kids get a good start on the road to a lifetime of good dental habits!
Tips for Healthy Dental Habits for Kids
- First visit by first birthday. The general rule is that your child should see the dentist within six months of their first tooth coming in, if not by their first birthday.
- Teach by example. Your kids are watching you. If they see you taking good care of your own teeth, they will want to do the same. If they are resistant to brushing, try playing a game where you brush each others teeth.
- Use dental products that contain fluoride, including toothpaste, unless otherwise recommended by your pediatrician and/or dentist.
- Brush twice daily, ideally after breakfast and dinner.
- Until you’re comfortable that your child can brush on his or her own, continue to brush your child’s teeth twice a day. Most kids are proficient at getting their teeth clean by they time they are six. If you’re not sure, ask the dentist when they should start doing it on their own.
- Don’t forget to brush behind their top front teeth and behind the bottom front teeth.
- Floss daily as soon as their teeth start touching each other. The spaces between teeth are prone to plaque build up. Plaque becomes tartar, and tartar has to be professionally cleaned.
- Take them to the dentist regularly. Generally every six months is adequate, unless there is a specific dental concern.
- Provide a healthy, well-balanced diet that limits starchy and sugary foods. Limit juices, because the acids can cause tooth decay.
- Make it FUN!
For my kids, making dental habits fun is KEY to getting the “No Cavity Club” badge at our dental visit, which we just had! One of the ways we’re making dental habits fun is by adding new Plackers Fruit Smoothie Swirl Kids’ Flossers to our routine. Plackers® is helping parents establish healthy dental care habits for their kids in a fun way with its new Fruit Smoothie Swirl Kids’ Flossers. Getting their flosser is fun with the new Plackers Flosser Friend and holding the unique dual grip handle is easy even for the smallest of hands. The kid-friendly fruit smoothie flavor is sure to be a hit and helps make flossing a fun – and tasty – task. The floss on these is also narrow enough to fit between Mister’s dental spacer, which is awesome because we’ve had a terrible time finding floss that will fit in there!
Obviously one of them needs a little help with technique! LOL
Other ways to make healthy dental habits fun are using a fun timer (we have a ladybug timer) and using electronic toothbrushes (when age appropriate).