As a parent you want your child to grow up as healthy as possible and to help ensure this you are likely to take your kid to see their pediatrician at regular intervals and you probably try your best to make sure they eat healthily and get enough exercise. However even the most careful parent can have seemingly harmless habits that may lead to poor oral health. It’s important that you make sure you aren’t inadvertently teaching your child to develop bad dental habits. There are three main areas that are easily overlooked.
Snacking in Between Meals Could Damage Dental Health
Many kids, particularly those that are very busy or active will need a snack in between meals but providing the wrong type of food and drink you teaching them one of bad dental habits and it could increase their risk of tooth decay. If you give your kid lots of sugary treats to help keep their energy levels high then think about offering them something more tooth friendly and instead provide healthier snacks that contain complex carbohydrates. One common mistake is to give a child fruit juice as after all this is a natural food source, but unfortunately many fruit juices contain incredibly high amounts of sugar. Instead, provide your child with the whole fruit as they will gain the benefits from eating all the fiber contained in fruit and the action of eating will help stimulate saliva flow. Crunchy fruits are a particularly good choice or if you can, get them to enjoy the taste of fresh crunchy vegetables.
Bad Dental Habits: Drinks Before Bedtime
Many children enjoy a soothing drink right before bedtime but you may need to rethink your routine if you give your kid chocolate milk or even just plain milk or fruit juice right before they go to bed, and so they go to sleep without brushing their teeth ( Learn also: Make Fun Tooth Brushing). The sugars contained in all these drinks will remain on the teeth overnight. If your child does want a sugary drink before bed then it’s important to make sure they brush their teeth before going to sleep or alternatively offer them plain water to help quench thirst.
If Child Skipping Regular Dental Appointments in New Jersey
Regular professional dental care is one of the easiest and most effective ways you can help maintain good dental health and it’s recommended that everyone, both kids and adults see a good dentist for regular checkups every six months. With today’s busy lifestyles it can be tempting to miss an appointment or two, particularly if your child’s teeth seem to not have bad dental habits and absolutely fine but tooth decay can soon develop, particularly in children’s teeth and this could result in them having painful toothache or even in tooth loss.
Our pediatric dentists are here to help not only avoid the risk of tooth decay or bad dental habits, but to teach your child about the importance of good oral hygiene. A typical appointment will involve a dental examination and a discussion about good oral hygiene habits. Our highly experienced dental team knows exactly how to talk to young children using language that is very easy for them to understand and we also know the best way to make dental hygiene informative, yet fun so your child is more likely to remember more information.
