4 Best Tips for Maintaining Children’s Dental and Oral Health
4 Best Tips for Maintaining Children’s Dental and Oral Health. Maintaining children’s health is an important thing for parents to do. Not only overall physical health but also dental and oral health issues. Unfortunately, most parents do not realize that introducing and teaching children about the importance of maintaining oral health needs to be done early.
Brushing teeth regularly can indeed be one way to maintain children’s teeth and mouth. But keep in mind, that it is not enough. Various disorders can arise if children are not accustomed to maintaining oral hygiene. The risk of disease can increase if children rarely brush their teeth and often consume sweets or sweet foods excessively, habits that are easy and vulnerable to damaging teeth. Bacteria in the mouth can multiply uncontrollably if the mouth and teeth are not properly maintained, making it prone to gum problems to tooth decay.
Therefore, a healthy mouth and teeth are important to support children’s growth and development. Not only does it make it easier for children to speak and eat food, but the presence of teeth also helps make them look more attractive. The following are ways that parents can implement to maintain the cleanliness and health of children’s teeth and mouth, among others:
- Encourage Children to Choose Preferred Dental Equipment
The first step for parents to maintain the hygiene and health of children’s teeth and mouth can be done by inviting children to choose their preferred dental equipment. Let the child choose the desired toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Brushing Teeth Correctly.
Children will find it difficult to brush their teeth properly. Therefore, parents play an important role in familiarizing and showing them how to brush their teeth properly. Regular brushing is the main way to improve oral hygiene and health. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day. The right time to brush your teeth is before bed and after meals. Unfortunately, many parents tell children to brush their teeth when bathing, not after eating. Even though bacteria in the mouth will develop as soon as the child finishes eating.
- Limit Children from Eating Sweet Foods.
School-age children generally like to enjoy snacks and snacks, especially when at school or with their friends. Snacks that are favored by children tend to be sweet snacks that are high in sugar. Eating like this is not good for children’s dental health. Ice cream, candy, sugary snacks, and drinks are not good for dental health when consumed in excess. Decay in teeth due to sugary foods and drinks is faster, so cavities are more prone to occur.
- Conduct Routine Examinations at least 1 time in 3 months
Regular check-ups by the Dentist are useful to know the condition of the child’s teeth. Taking early prevention can also help reduce the cost of care and treatment in the future. Because checking with the Dentist is one of the right steps so that children’s oral health is maintained.
By knowing about health problems in the teeth and mouth, at least parents can be more concerned and pay more attention so that this does not happen to the child. And start implementing habits that can support oral health, so that children can get used to it independently from an early age.