Good oral hygiene habits should begin before adult teeth come in, and even before children start to lose their baby teeth. As your one-stop dental practice for the whole family, all of us at Paris Mountain Dental are excited to share the importance of teaching kids good oral hygiene habits.
Why You Should Teach Your Kids About Oral Hygiene
We tell our kids to eat their fruits and veggies because these foods include important vitamins and minerals to help them grow up to be healthy and strong. In that same sense, that is also why we should all strive to teach our children about good oral hygiene, so that their smiles grow up healthy, strong, and bright too!
Why Are Baby Teeth Important If They Fall Out Eventually?
Baby teeth serve an important role in children’s growth and overall well-being. Without baby teeth, children wouldn’t be able to smile, chew, properly bite down. Baby teeth also play an important role in how the adult teeth will erupt. If a child loses baby teeth too early, the adult teeth might erupt too soon, making it difficult for the surrounding teeth to find space to come in, which can lead to crooked and/or crowded teeth.
3 Tips to Make Good Oral Hygiene Fun for Kids
1. Brush Your Teeth Together
You know what they say—monkey see, monkey do! Showing your children that you make a habit of brushing your teeth carefully and regularly helps show them how important it is.
2. Make It Special With a Unique Toothbrush
You can help keep children interested in brushing their teeth by using a fun, colorful toothbrush or one that features their favorite cartoon character!
3. Make the Time Count
Duration is extremely important when brushing teeth, so it’s a good idea to get kids used to brushing for a full two minutes. There are lots of tooth brushing songs on YouTube. The ADA even made a curated list of several songs with some familiar characters.
Just as parents need to visit our team at Paris Mountain Dental twice a year, so do children. Our office is equipped with a kids’ play area to help children stay comfortable during their visits and our friendly team knows how important it is to be fun and friendly. We never want our young patients to fear the dentist so we do everything we can to make their dental checkups fun!