Dental hygiene is a critical component of your child’s health according to children’s dentists in Kansas City. Tooth decay is a common condition affecting most of the population. Although it is common, it is highly preventable when in kids and families. As parents or caregivers of children, it’s important to teach proper hygiene habits, including their teeth. Here are a few essential things to remember when teaching your children about their teeth and how to care for them.
- Make sure your child has the right tools. Take your child to the store and let them pick out the right size toothbrush that they can get excited about. Whether it be their favorite color or one with a character on it, it’s important they like it.
- Next, make sure they have the right toothpaste flavor; just like us all, kids have flavor preferences. There is a wide variety now, such as mint, bubble gum, cinnamon, and many more. This will help make brush time less of a struggle.
- Get yourself a little timer that you can set for two minutes. This is the right brushing time for adults and children alike. You might find that you, yourself, do not brush the full two minutes that the American Dental Association recommends.
- Create a sticker chart or a reward system for brushing regularly. It’s helpful for kids, when learning new habits, to have a system in which they can keep track of their brushing. The reward should not be candy or sweet treat related but rather fun activity, picking the restaurant for dinner or maybe a fun toy.
- Prepare your kids by providing fun videos or books that talk about tooth brushing and dental hygiene. Check with your local library or your children’s dentist in Kansas City for materials. Don’t’ simply say sugar is bad but explain to them through learning materials why sugar is bad and what happens to the tooth when you eat sugar. YouTube is an excellent resource for learning videos for kids, with supervision, of course.
- Schedule a regular routine checkup with the best children’s dentist office in Kansas City today to prevent any cavities from forming. When you are seeing a kids dentist in Kansas City regularly, they can check the progression of growth of the jaw and teeth to make sure everything is developing on track, and they can prevent tiny cavities from growing into major problems.
It is essential to keep your kid’s flossing and brushing routine consistent to keep them healthy. If you are looking for a pediatric dentist in Kansas City to help keep and build a healthy smile for your child, give Shoal Creek Pediatric Dentistry a call at (816) 781-5437 or visit our website to schedule an appointment.
Treating your child’s dental needs with care and understanding is what we do. We look forward to seeing you and your child on your next visit to your trusted Kansas City childrens dentist office!
