Dentists and Children - Developing Positive Habits From an Early Age

Dentists play a very important role in the care of your children’s teeth. It is important to start taking your child to the tooth doctor from a very early age to get him or her use to seeing this dental professional. Starting young can help to encourage and promote proper dental care on a long-term basis. You are building healthy habits in your child that can last a lifetime.

You must teach your child that oral health care is very important. As a parent you are the number one role model in your son or daughter’s life and that is why you must impress upon them that taking care of their teeth and gums is essential to their health. Dental hygiene starts with you.

The dentist can examine your child’s teeth and can bring to your attention and problems (or potential problems) that may be around the corner. Do everything you can to make your child’s trips to the dentist as positive as possible. The same goes for when your child sits down in the dental hygienist’s chair for a cleaning. A negative experience can lead to a child’s not wanting to go to the dental office and that is not what you want. The last thing you want is for your son or daughter to be afraid of sitting in the dentist’s chair!

Having regular dental checkups at least twice a year is important but so is the oral hygiene that takes place at home. Taking care of teeth is also something that you can reinforce at home. Encourage your child to brush his teeth at least twice a day, once in the morning and then before he goes to bed at night. Also encourage him to floss his teeth at night before bedtime.

You will need to help your child brush his teeth until he is able to do it on his own. Once your child can rinse out his mouth thoroughly and can spit out the toothpaste into the sink instead of swallowing it you will know that he can do it on his own. Until that day comes stay in the bathroom with him or remain very close by!

Some dentists will teach children the proper way to brush with the use of pictures and diagrams. They may even have the child hold up a mirror in front of their face and then hand them a toothbrush to demonstrate the proper procedure. Any help your dental practitioner can give you in this area can prove useful in developing good oral hygiene in your child!

Purchase toothpaste for your youngster that has fluoride in it. This is a necessary ingredient to keep tooth enamel strong and also to prevent the appearance of cavities. To encourage your child to want to brush his teeth choose one with a flavor that is pleasing to him. The market is flooded with toothpaste brands and flavors that are aimed at a young demographic. There is everything from orange flavored to grape flavored to strawberry flavored and so on. The more enthusiasm your child feels about dental care the easier it will be for the good habits to stick- for life!