Oral hygiene for kids is important not just for the health of our little ones now, but for their future as well. Pediatric dental care has learned through research, that what happens with their teeth now affects their future health as well. If there isn’t proper oral hygiene for kids when they are infants, they are far more likely to have cavities when they are older. Although adult teeth don’t start developing until the age of six, the baby teeth our children begin with act as a type of placeholder for later dental development. Problems as a young child will foreshadow problems later on. There over 51 million school instructional hours lost every year due to dental problems that need addressing. So what can we do to insure that visits to a pediatric dentist aren’t just a continuous series of corrective dental work to fill cavities?

Make Oral Hygiene for Kids Count Right From the Beginning.

Your baby’s beautiful smile stops being completely toothless around four months of age. Then the beginning of teeth start to peek and poke through the gums. Start with a clean wet wash cloth to gently clean their teeth and by the end first year move to a small extra soft toothbrush.

Make a Visit to the Dentist part of a Program of Oral Hygiene for Kids Starting at Age One.

By taking your child for a pediatric exam at 12 months allows your baby to both get used to pediatric dentistry and insures any potential are addressed before they’re major problems. Make dentistry for kids a regular experience. If there ever is a dental issue or emergency, it will be easier to have your little one accept the necessary treatment.

Don’t Use Fluoride Toothpaste for Your Child Till Age of Two

Fluoride is an important means of fighting tooth decay, but only use child or baby toothpaste unless directed otherwise during a pediatric dental exam. Oral hygiene for kids should only include prophylactic measures that are appropriate for their development. If necessary and recommended, children can receive a fluoride varnish which when applied can prevent about a 1/3 of any potential tooth decay that occur with baby teeth.

Make Oral Hygiene for Kids Fun!

Praise your little one and their gorgeous smile if they have a great visit to a pediatric dentist office. Share books and entertainment which talk about teeth and dental care. Make sure they see what you do to take care of your teeth. Let them pick out their toothbrushes and learn to care for them. Sing a little song, do a little dance, but make sure the “teethies” have a good time when brushed!

Serve Healthy Varieties of Foods and Drinks That Are Lower in Sugar

Oral Hygiene for Kids starts before toothbrushing time or pediatric dental services. It also depends what they eat. Make certain their diet stays ways from processed food and candy. Even “natural beverages” contain sugar that contribute to tooth decay and cavities.

There are few things in life as special as the smile you get from your child. Help to preserve and protect it with oral hygiene for kids–and particularly your kid– that works.