How To Maintain Your Children's Dental Health

Dentist Blog

It's probably no big news to you that dental health can affect a person's overall physical health. In fact, poor dental health can even be a factor in serious illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. Even though it might be a challenge for you to stay on top of your children's dental needs, knowing how important that is to do is probably a great incentive for you. From at-home care to dental care to visits to your family dentist, here are some ideas that might help.

In The Home - Have any of your children ever scoffed at brushing or flossing their teeth? Maybe you've even heard one or more of your kids say something like, It's no big deal! Have a family council where you talk about overall health and how important it is for your children to take good care of themselves. Tell your kids that it is a big deal because you love them! In fact, if would be a great idea to formulate a chart that includes health-related things like different types of exercise that can be done, which snacks are the healthiest and how many times a day teeth are brushed and flossed. Give gold stars for times that children reach for snacks like apples and carrot sticks. Give one gold star for each time a child brushes and two gold stars for each time a child flosses. Flossing can be a definite pain-in-the-neck, so it deserves an additional star

Away From Home - Of course, routine dental care at home is essential. Establishing dental care with a dentist is the other half of maintaining healthy teeth and gums.

  • Choose a dentist that can take care of all of your family's needs.
  • When you are selecting a dentist, choose one that has a good rapport with children. You can often determine this by checking out the waiting room. Is there a place where children can play with toys or watch a movie while they're waiting?
  • Schedule your visits to the dentist during times that children won't have to miss school. For example, if you make an appointment during the Christmas holidays, they won't have to return until summertime.
  • Ask the person who makes appointments if it would be convenient for you to receive a reminder call.

For more tips on improving your child's dental health, contact a local dental clinic like Havendale Dental Office PA. 

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12 April 2016

About Me

Getting Your Toddler to the Dentist Once and For All

Toddlers should see a dentist for the first time by the age of twelve months or by the time their first tooth comes in. But if you are a parent with toddlers anything like mine, the prospect of going to the dentist (let alone anywhere!) can be pretty intimidating. My kids were a handful growing up. They had tantrums any time we would have to sit in a waiting room, and they refused to get in the dentist's chair during their first few visits. So, I had to employ a professional to help me make the transition to finally getting them in that dental chair without all the screaming and crying. I know I'm not the only parent in this situation, so I decided to share the information I've learned with others who can use a little help. You can find all my advice right here on these pages!