Dental Health: A Habit For Life!

Healthy dental habits for kids create lifelong benefits.

Raising kids with healthy teeth seems impossible. But if parents take a measured approach, achieving this goal can be simply realized. And when this goal is achieved, your children will reap the benefits for their entire life. The bottom line is that healthy oral hygiene for kids means healthy oral hygiene for the adults they will become.

 

The White of Their Teeth

Our children don’t naturally know how to take care of their health and their bodies. They depend on adults for guidance and help. While they may be forgetful and lax in their duties, kids are rarely dishonest when it comes to following basic tasks. Sometimes who they learn from and the environment they learn in can make all the difference in the world. The traditional dental office, with its impersonal, sterile atmosphere, can be off putting. Bringing the news to them with friendliness and cheer can make the learning of new habits much easier. Dentists and parents who team together can have a real impact on a child’s dental habits

Kids start growing their adult teeth in the womb. With proper care, there’s no reason most of those teeth can’t last a lifetime. By embracing pediatric dentistry, dentists can help parents build the habits and character traits that kids take with them into adulthood.
By embracing pediatric dentistry, dentists can help parents build the habits and character traits that kids take with them into adulthood.

Proper Dental Habits Include:

• Brushing twice a day
• Flossing once a day
• Limiting sweets
• Educating about the causes and preventions of tooth decay and loss
• Encouraging a diet that is best for teeth

 

Set Positive Examples

Kids learn from what they see. So, it’s equally important for parents to set good examples for kids. Practice good hygiene yourself and your children will remain encouraged as they develop the same habits. This includes diet as well as brushing, flossing and regular dental visits. Of course brushing and flossing implies that the tasks will be performed correctly, with attention to detail and with enough time to do the job right. Sometimes little games help. Kids can chase imaginary bugs or fish around their mouth. Others have fun reciting their ABCs through the foaming toothpaste as they brush. Keeping a reward chart is fun, too, and can give them a sense of accomplishment and self control. Small rewards can also be a true motivator.

 

Diet is as Diet Does

Following a good diet can also contribute to strong teeth in addition to overall physical health. In general, children who have been taught to eat healthily from a young age will find it much easier to do so as adults. For example, try to use healthy foods as treats and rewards, rather than overly sugary snacks. This can help teach kids to enjoy fruits and vegetables, rather than seeing them as something dreary that their parents force them to eat. Keeping glucose and caffeine to a minimum can greatly reduce a child’s risk of forming cavities and may even contribute to improved behavior. Teaching a child good habits takes time. Many parents have to try a variety techniques before they find something that works well. Each child may have unique motivators. The important thing is to keep at it, and not become discouraged. Stay focused on the long-term benefits of proper children’s oral health and the benefit for you child may last a lifetime!

To help your children learn healthy dental habits, put your dental plan into place at Achord Family Dentistry located at 4290 Lakeland Drive Suite C in Flowood, Mississippi. Dr. Andrew Achord also holds a degree in immunopathology. His areas of focus include restorative dental care, diseases of the mouth and their effects on the rest of the body, and dental treatment for patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.

For more information, please visit www.achorddentistry.com or call (601) 664-0492 to schedule an appointment.