February is National Children's Dental Health Month! Dr. O'Grady wants to help you and your family achieve optimal oral health. If you have children of any age, you know how difficult it is to get them to brush their teeth. It's important to develop good oral health habits at a young age. Although it may be difficult at first, it's definitely an achievable goal. Below, our children's dentist in Denver Highlands shares a few tips on how to improve your child's oral health.
Just like our overall health, a proper diet is necessary to achieve good oral health. Dr. O'Grady recommends eating nutritious foods throughout the day. Below is a list of foods that you should and should not include in your daily diet.
Foods to be included:
Foods to stop the following:
If you can make brushing teeth fun instead of making it seem like a chore, your kids will have healthy smiles in no time! Children love all things cool and fun, so why not choose a game that could make brushing go by faster? As mentioned earlier, playing a two-minute song while brushing your teeth can make the time pass! Not to mention the mini dance party you'll have while brushing your teeth.
Tooth decay, while highly preventable, is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in infants. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, it is better to begin oral treatment early, with a first appointment before the age of one. Dr. O'Grady urges parents to encourage good oral hygiene as part of general well-being to help avoid deterioration in young children.
Parents need to develop proper brushing and flossing methods to ensure that children develop proper oral health practices throughout their lives. Professional dental cleanings at our dental office in Denver, CO, isn't going to help you or your sustain good oral health. It starts at home. Brushing and flossing are the most important strategies for reducing plaque and avoiding tooth decay.
Dr. Kim, a dentist in Lexington, KY, agrees that the best oral health results, use just a limited quantity of pea-sized toothpaste on the toothbrush. Demonstrate careful brushing by gentle back-and-forth strokes on your own teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush, and encourage children to emulate your acts on their own teeth.
Flossing can start before the teeth begin to meet each other. Brushing can be performed twice a day with FDA approved fluoridated toothpaste.
As life gets busier and busier, it's important that we all take good care of our teeth. Oral health has been linked to many diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. It doesn't take much to brush and floss your teeth daily, but if you need extra tips on how to improve your child's oral health, contact OG Dental. Our team will do our best to help in any way we can. If you haven't scheduled this year's dental appointments, give us a call!
