How to Establish Oral Care Routine for Your Children | Bloor West Smiles

The only way to ensure that your children will have good oral health is if you establish an oral healthcare routine. Fortunately, doing so is easier than you might think.

The Importance of Oral Care

If you have any doubts about getting your kids started early, think again. Oral health is one of the keys to overall health. If you don’t have good oral health, you put yourself at risk for serious health conditions. Even a simple cavity can turn bad. If you have a cavity that goes untreated, it could eventually cause an infection. That infection can spread throughout your body and cause damage. The habits that you instill in your children get carried on with them into adulthood. When you teach them how to care for their teeth and gums, you set them up for a future of success. They are more likely to brush and floss properly the rest of their life.

Tips for Setting Up an Oral Care Routine

There are several ways in which you can set up a healthy oral care routine with your kids. With a little help, your kids can have a lifetime of healthy teeth.

1. Teach Your Kids the Importance of Oral Health

Before you can establish a routine, you need to educate your children. It’s crucial that they understand the importance of their oral health. From a young age, teach them about cavities and gum disease. Explain how flossing and brushing can keep plaque at bay, which can prevent cavities. There are several ways in which you can educate your children. If they enjoy a certain television character, find out if the character has a special on oral health. They might enjoy watching the show and take away a lesson at the end of it. You can also take it upon yourself to teach your kids. Do some of your own research and find out some interesting facts about oral care. As you research, be sure to learn about some common dental care myths. Learn the right and wrong way to brush and floss, and share that information with your kids.

2. Make a Shopping Trip

If you want your kids to stick with an oral care routine, buy the right equipment. Take them shopping and let them pick out proper dental care tools. Consider buying brushes, floss, tongue scrapers, and more. Let your kids get a little creative with their purchases. Instead of sticking to a boring toothbrush, let them pick out a colourful one. For a more effective brushing experience, you can buy them electric toothbrushes. You might want to buy more than one toothbrush for each child. After about three months, you should replace each toothbrush. By having them on hand, you can ensure that they always have a new toothbrush ready to replace the old one. When they are older, they might continue to do the same.

3. Set Up Their Routine

You can’t expect young children to create their own effective dental care routine. Rather, you need to help them set up a routine. Be assertive and create a sticker chart for brushing and flossing. As a rule, children and adults should brush twice a day. When your children brush, they can place a sticker on the chart. You should also include flossing on the chart. Although young children lose their baby teeth, they still should brush and floss. In fact, they should start flossing as soon as they have two teeth next to one another.

4. Schedule Regular Check-Ups

Dental check-ups are about more than getting professional teeth cleaning. As your dentist examines your mouth, they can find signs of cavities. They might be able to prevent a cavity from forming. To get your children used to dental check-ups, make it fun. Mark the bi-annual check-ups on a calendar. When the day arrives, make it a fun day. Take your family out for a fun meal after the check-up, or take them to a fun local attraction. By rewarding them for going to the check-up, you make it more likely they will go in the future. Many adults fear dental visits. However, this doesn’t have to be the case with your children. When you get them accustomed to regular dental check-ups, you can eliminate the fear of dental visits.

5. Start Early

It’s never too early to establish an oral healthcare routine. As soon as your children have teeth, you should start brushing them. When they can brush for themselves, let them take over the job. The sooner you get them started, the sooner it will become a routine. With flossing, you might need to handle the work until your kids are a little older. In most cases, children can’t floss by themselves until they are about six or seven.

6. Set a Good Example

If you want your kids to have a good oral healthcare routine, you need to set the example. Your children follow in your footsteps. If they see you brush and floss regularly, they are more likely to do so. One of the best ways to set a good example is to make brushing and flossing a family activity. Every morning and every evening, pull out your brushes and get to work. By brushing together, you can ensure that they are brushing well enough and long enough. You can correct them on any mistakes. Another way to set a good example is to visit your dentist when you have an oral problem. If you have tooth or gum pain, don’t push the problem aside. Your children will notice. Set a good example and seek treatment immediately. In addition to improving your chance at good oral health, you also help your children establish appropriate dental health practices. When they are older, they won’t hesitate to see a dentist for their problems. Here at Bloor West Smiles, we want to help you and your family have healthy oral hygiene practices. Contact us to learn more about what we can do for you.