Depending on the age of your child, they may be partially, totally or not very much at all dependent on you for their dental hygiene.
For those with little ones, look at it this way: at least you can get that brushing, flossing and fluoride done for them, even if it is a bit of a struggle. A 12 year old with braces may not do the best job flossing, but probably won’t want you near it! As for scheduling dental appointments, well, when they are teenagers you may be working around their social schedules as well as their activities!
At any rate, parents have at least some involvement in their children’s dental care for many years. Let’s crack out some child dental care tips to make it easier on everyone!
Child Dental Care Tips
First of all, as you’re probably tired of hearing us say, fluoride is your friend. Young children are likely best with the tablets, they even come in varying strengths based on the age of the child. Ask you pharmacist for these. As children are able, the fluoride rinses with various favorite characters are generally popular. They come in all different flavors and colors so you’re likely to find one that appeals. Feel free to use these yourself as well. You’re never too old for strong teeth. Also, as far as effort output is concerned, this is a very low effort action for a big bang in protection.
For the little ones and flossing, having them lie down backwards on your lap, (the top of their head will be nestled against your stomach), will grant you an easy access way to floss them. It’s also nice because both they and you can sit down and relax.
Flossing for kids that are a little older, but not really wanting to use floss in the traditional way, there are those little plastic flossers. These are available at most drug stores and pharmacies. While not great for the earth admittedly, sometimes the 80/20 rule comes into play. Such as trying to be very earth friendly 80 percent of the time, and going with the less earth friendly option for the other 20 percent. Here’s hoping to a renewable product coming soon to replace those.
Of course limiting sweets is obvious. Easier said than done. Hello birthday cupcakes, sports day fundraisers, grandma’s that take delight in giving a little treat etc. All very nice things and an enjoyable part of life. So what are some real-life solutions to limiting sugar? Have you heard that a high protein breakfast will limit sweet cravings throughout the day? We have…It’s definitely worth a try, it’s a healthy way to go anyways. Also, not keeping too many sweets in the house and drinking some water after a sweet treat can both be effective too.
Do you like and trust your current dentist? If you or your child aren’t thrilled with them, then try to find one that you do both like and trust. Asking friends and family and checking the online reviews are great ways to find someone new. This can really help as you navigate your way through making the many decisions around your child’s dental care as they grow up.
Fun – Brushy Brushy ♫-
Can you find ways to add some fun into the dental routine? Electric toothbrushes are fun and effective, colorful toothbrushes, batman fluoride as mentioned and singing the brushy brushy songs to the young ones such as:
Brush, brush, brush your teeth ♫-
Fun songs and you might even find that you enjoy them!
We sincerely hope this has been of help to you and may even inspire you through those times it may seem like a slog. It’s so worth it! If your kids can make it through their early and middle years with no (or at least very few) cavities in their adult teeth, it’s a great accomplishment. Thinking waaaay ahead, maybe they can make it through life without crowns, bridges or implants or ever having to replace aging dental work in their mouth. How great would that be!
Enjoy,
Kits Family Dental 604.738.1816 | info@kitsfamilydental.com
Thank you Blaise Vonlanthen and Unsplash for the joyous image used in this post.
