The first stages of kids’ lives are crucial for healthy permanent teeth. Poor oral care routine and reduced food intake habits can lead to decay tooth among children. Parents are the role models who inspire the kids in understanding the importance of oral health. Brushing twice a day is a habit that one must include in the oral care routine. Kids imitate their parents in all things, and oral care is one of them, that affects their physiological and mental development. Here are a few reasons why it is essential to teach kids about dental health.
1. Reduce dental fear
When kids get a painful toothache, they have to undergo dental treatments that can be scary. No matter how skilled a dentist is, undergoing treatments at an early age contributes to an adverse childhood experience. These bad experiences with dental care are one of the reasons that end up avoiding dentist appointments in later life. Promoting a healthy oral care routine at home will prevent dental issues and will give positive experiences to the kids. This way, kids will proactively look forward to dental appointments and follow a good oral routine.
2. Cultivate self-confidence
Teaching kids about dental health will give them healthy stain-free teeth. If kids don’t floss and brush regularly, their teeth will start looking yellow due to the food stains. Therefore, teaching the importance of dental health will improve their self-esteem and self-confidence, which is helpful throughout their adulthood. Also, if your kids lose too many teeth due to decay, then your kids can try the kids crown. These crowns are artificial metallic teeth crowns that act as a protective covering for the remaining teeth and also look aesthetically pleasing.
3. Allow a varied diet
Kids also learn why it is essential to have a varied diet to keep their teeth healthy. A part of teaching dental health is showing what kinds of fruits and vegetables promote good oral health. It encourages kids to include all crunchy fruits and vegetables in their diet to keep their gums healthy. It will help in the growth and development of their teeth and gums without missing any nutrients. Kids should eat plenty of calcium-rich foods like low-fat milk, cheese, fortified tofu, and dark green leafy vegetables. They should also eat eggs, and lean meat as these foods are rich in Phosphorus, which is an essential mineral for the growth and development of teeth and bones.
4. Helps speech development
Teeth are essential in forming certain sounds and in proper pronunciation. Missing teeth can cause speech issues like lisp. It happens due to the extraction of decayed teeth, tongue ties, which obstruct the flow of air. It hinders the development of speech patterns in kids, which may affect their confidence too. It’s important to talk to kids about these issues, to make them proactive towards dental care.
5. Brushing Motion
There are many techniques on how to brush your teeth like up-down or in circles or back and forth. The truth is, regular cleaning of your teeth is the most important thing. No matter which direction you teach your kids to brush, if they don’t brush daily, it can cause oral issues. Sometimes kids show resistance in cleaning and brush only the front teeth that they see. Therefore, supervise and help them in brushing their teeth until they are old enough to understand to do the actual brushing by themselves.
6. Too Much Sugar
As mentioned in the previous point, the child’s diet plays a vital role in developing healthy teeth. Sugary things like toffee, sticky caramel, dried fruits, and gum attract kids. These sweet items stay in their mouths for hours and do severe damage to their teeth. It increases the risk of cavities and gum infection. Make sure that they brush their teeth after consuming any sugary food item. And also, don’t allow them to have too much sugar-containing liquid items before bed. Teaching them these healthy habits will help them in the long run. Sugar attracts plaque-causing bacteria to develop over the teeth, which can eventually cause teeth cavities.
7. Don’t let thumb-sucking last
Thumb sucking is a habit that young children do and can continue until the age of three. Prolonged thumb-sucking can affect and alter the structure of teeth and jaw. As a remedy, continually remind your child to stop it and take your kid to the dentist if this problem persists. The dentist would be the right person to tell you the best approach to stop your kid’s thumb-sucking.
8. Lead by example
Kids imitate what parents do. So you must follow the right oral care routine and the proper diet in front of them. Set the right example by ditching unhealthy eating habits, reducing sugar intake to improve your kid’s oral health. By setting this standard, your kids will understand at an early stage how to take care of their teeth.
9. Amount of Toothpaste
Develop a habit for your kids using a pea-size amount of toothpaste from the age of 3 to prevent the chances of cavities. A study encourages the use of fluoride toothpaste twice a day. Since they are brushing at such a young age, they may not understand rinsing and spitting the toothpaste after cleaning. But with age, they need to realize that too much swallowing of fluoride toothpaste can create white or brown spots on the teeth.
10. Dental Checkups
Frequent dental checkups are a vital part of a healthy oral care routine. Taking your kids to the dentist will help them familiarize themselves with that atmosphere. The regular checkups will reduce anxiety levels in them. The pediatric dentists can detect any early signs of dental issues and help avoid severe treatments. It also helps kids understand the importance of frequent dental visits.
Conclusion
The above steps can make massive changes in the daily oral care routine of a family if taken seriously. Following the above steps can help you and your kids in avoiding the headache of oral health in the future. Be consistent in following these routines and keep an eye on kids that they follow it thoroughly. As parents, you play a vital role in motivating and encouraging kids to brush their teeth regularly. Other than brushing, teach kids the importance of regular tongue cleaning and flossing.
