9 Tips to Keep Kids Teeth Healthy

The tooth decay not only makes the kids lose their teeth, but it is also one of the main sources of oral illnesses among the kids.

It is for this reason that you need to keep the teeth and gums of your kids healthy. Here are some tips that will help you to take care of your child’s oral health in the right way. Just read on.

• Start Early – As soon as the first tooth of the child emerges, you should get him or her used to the idea of tooth brushing. This is because both the formula and breast milks contain sugar that can give rise to tooth decay. In this case, it is vital to use fluoride toothpaste as it helps to control and prevent tooth decay. Finger brushes are just ideal for your baby. This gets the babies used to some tickling on their gums and teeth. Try to brush before the last feed before putting them to sleep.

• Don’t Share the Food and the Drink – Bacteria happen to be the main cause of cavities and the worst part is that they are contagious. Not sharing the drinks and the food will make sure that the bacteria causing cavities are not passed on to the kid from your or anyone else.

• Try to Avoid Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking – In children, the most common habit includes thumb-sucking and the use of pacifiers. If they are not careful, they can do massive damage to the shape of your child’s mouth as well as their teeth.  In order to avoid such issues from cropping up you should make your child get rid of that habit by the age of 3 years. If you can you should encourage a pacifier more over the sucking of thumb. This is primarily because this habit is more difficult to get rid of. However, ensure that you don’t clean the pacifier using your mouth, or coat it with honey, sugar or any other sugary drink and avoid pacifiers that have moving parts or have liquid interiors. The one-piece pacifiers are the best.

• Teach the Technique of Brushing – The toddlers actually learn by watching and that is why you must let them watch you and the other kids. Until your child is about seven or eight years old you should supervise their brushing. Ensure that you and the child are brushing correctly using the circular motions on the teeth. Not only that, you should also be cupping their gum line. You should refrain from rinsing with water. You can make them spit out the excess toothpaste but do not rinse. This way you can wash out the precious fluoride form the toothpaste.

• Avoid Frequent Snacking – A consistent influx of the foods and especially the sugary foods creates the perfect ambience for the bacteria causing cavities. So you should limit the snacking of the kids to just healthy foods. Not only that, you should also encourage them to gargle with water or brush their teeth after they have finished eating whenever possible.

• Avoid Sticky Foods – You can be concerned about what types of food are beneficial and what to avoid. Anything that is sticky or chewy or anything that washes out easily from the mouth should be avoided. The raisins and the cereals are examples of foods that can cause cavities in spite of being healthy.

• Ensure Lots of Water Intake – Water should be the most preferable drink for your child. Though the bottled water is great but the fluoridated tap water is what is most recommended for your kid.

• Make Them Floss Early – The faster you teach your kids how to floss the better for you. It can be started as soon as they have a couple of teeth that touch each other. This usually occurs around the age of 2 years. These help your kids learn the movement of cleaning in between the teeth which will eventually prevent the built-up of plaque.

• Make Sure the Dental Appointments Are a Positive Experience – Do not make your kids fear visiting the dentist. You can take them with you for your dental appointments so that they can get used to the bright lights, noises and smells. Your dentist should be able to observe your kid’s mouth from a very early age so that any trouble lurking in the mouth can be detected early. Take your kid to the dentist every six months and you should also consider the option of dental sealants if the dentist recommends.