Oral hygiene is an important part in any person’s health. Most of us take our teeth for granted, but do the most amount of work with them. We use our teeth to chew, swallow, talk, smile and even to digest our food partly. Our teeth, once removed, cannot be replaced. We either have to go for artificial ones or do without them altogether. It is, therefore, very important that we maintain good oral hygiene at all times. Oral hygiene is a different topic altogether when it comes to children. It is, in fact, a very trying task to ensure that children maintain good oral health. It takes a lot of discipline, cajoling and bribing to make sure that children maintain good oral health. Regular checks should be done and appropriate remedial action should be taken when necessary. This may take a toll on you as a parent. You may find yourself at dental clinics very weekend or burning the midnight oil trying to search for porcelain crowns Melbourne or pain free braces. Let us help you some. Here are some tips to follow so that you can ensure that your kids maintain good oral health.
Stick to a Ritual
Children resent bedtime. Say bedtime and children take it as the time to run around the house or start throwing a tantrum. This is natural. The same applies when it comes to brushing teeth as well. Many parents are seen having a hard time in the morning and night trying to get their children to brush their teeth. The best way to go about this would be not to come out of nowhere are declare it as the teeth brushing time, but to work it into a ritual. Finish dinner, go straight to brushing teeth and bath time and unwind with some music or light reading. This way, your kid will not be taken by surprise and will be less prone to resist your command to brush their teeth.
Practice the Right Technique
There is a right technique to brushing your teeth. It is simply not enough to brush your teeth. You need to brush them the right way in order to maintain good health. Children are not very likely to master this step very quickly. You need to supervise their technique until at least they are three years of age. Once they have mastered the art of brushing teeth in the right way, you can let them do it on their own. There are many videos online that shows the proper technique of brushing teeth, made especially for children. Watch them together with your kid or ask your dentist to demonstrate it to your kid.
Watch those Sweets
Sweets are the root cause of a large number of oral health problems in children. Children consume a lot of sweets and also a lot of fizzy drinks. Fizzy drinks that contain phosphoric acid and citric acid are especially bad for teeth as they have a corrosive effect on the enamel. Various sugar containing food, when left stuck to the teeth cause decay of the enamel. As parents, it is important that you watch your child’s sugar intake. It is best to keep sugary foods and drinks as treats and not a part of their daily meals.
Do check ups
Most of us take our children to the doctor right on schedule, regardless of whether or not they are sick. We stick to this schedule because we have been trained to do it. Dental appointments, on the other hand, seems to slip under the radar. As a result, many children end up with oral health problems. Make it a point to check your kid’s teeth every now and then. If they seem decayed, visit your dentist immediately. It is always best to get off at a porcelain crown rather than having to uproot the whole tooth.
Educate
You cannot always be checking your child’s teeth all the time, until he or she is ready to leave for college. You need to teach your kid to do it himself, and to do a good job of it. The best way to do this would be to get your dentist to talk to your child about maintaining good oral health and the consequences of its negligence. It is always best to prevent rather than to go into all the trouble of losing a tooth.
