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Empower Your Kids to Care for Their Teeth

A child smiling after receiving dental care at Smile Shoppe Pediatric Dentistry in Rogers, AR

Some of the common dental problems that adults experience – tooth decay, infections, gum disease, and others – can be avoided with proper oral care right from a young age. If you are a parent, you can save both you and your child much grief in later years if you teach him/her proper oral health care. At Smile Shoppe Pediatric Dentistry, we are committed to helping parents to empower kids to care about teeth. We can work with you to ensure that your child has a great time growing up – one that is not full of dental problems.

How to Empower Your Kid to Care About Teeth?

While proper oral health care is important for your kids, cultivating it can be a huge task that can seem impossible at times. Luckily for you, we have a few tips that can help you empower your child to care for their teeth. Check them out below:

Teaching Oral Hygiene To Your Kid

As a parent, it is your responsibility to care for your child’s teeth when they are little and unable to do so. However, as they grow older, you should teach them how to do it, instead of doing it for them. This means teaching them how to how to apply toothpaste, teaching them how to brush properly, and teaching them how to floss. This knowledge that you pass on to your child at a young age will create a strong foundation for optimal oral health in his/her adult years.

Leading By Example

Empowering your child to care for his/her oral health is great, but it will be fruitless if you do not lead by example. Since children are very impressionable, especially by their parents, they are more likely to learn from what you do rather than what you tell them. Therefore, leading by example is the best option when teaching them how to care for their teeth.

Getting Your Kid Involved In Their Oral Health

Children are more likely to learn and practice oral care if they are part of the process. Therefore, letting your kid being involved in things like choosing their toothbrushes – based on their favorite colors and cartoon character – can go a long way in empowering him/her to care for their teeth.

Making Oral Hygiene Sessions Fun

Children like doing fun things and anything that appears to be boring – say the brushing of teeth – can be a painful and an unwelcome task. Unfortunately, if your child learns to dislike oral care, chances are they are going to hate it even in adulthood. Therefore, you should do your best to make oral hygiene sessions fun and interesting, for example, by singing fun songs, reading interesting stories about oral care, and so on. The more fun the sessions are, the more your child will look forward to them, and the more they are likely to carry on with the practice when they grow older.

Providing Healthy Foods And Drinks

Giving candy and other sugary snacks to your child can be a pleasant experience, but you could also be damaging their teeth in the process. Instead of these sugary substances, you should offer them healthy snacks such as carrots, fruits, and crunchy vegetables.

Scheduling Regular Dental Visits

Even with proper oral care, dental health issues might still occur. However, they can be spotted at their onset and treated before they become serious. This is why you should schedule regular dental visits for your child.

Empowering kids to care about teeth helps them to achieve optimal oral health even in their adulthood. Smile Shoppe Pediatric Dentistry can help you teach your kids the best oral care techniques. Call us today at 470-876-8883 for any questions you might have.