7 Healthy oral habits you need to teach your children
Parents of toddlers don't really realize how important teeth are. Even if there is one tooth present, brushing it is very important. Teeth can start to decay at a very early age and hence healthy oral habits is extremely important. Studies have shown that tooth decay is actually the number one chronic disease which children, especially in children from the ages of 6 to 11 years and 12 to 19 years. Parents should always look after the oral habits of their kids. Here we give you a 7 step crash course:
1. Start off with oral care very early
By the time your child is just a year old, you should make a trip to the dentist. Prevention is always better than cure and getting any care which is preventive can help in saving money. Studies have shown that the costs for dental care lower by almost 40 per cent for those kids who get early dental care.
2. Teach your kids to brush and floss
Teaching them how to brush their teeth is extremely important right from the beginning. Usually people think that brushing a baby's teeth is useless. Irrespective of how many teeth your baby has, it is very important that you start brushing from early on. Even if your baby doesn't have teeth you can simply brush the gums using a soft baby brush or you can simply give them a good cleaning using a wash cloth which is soft.
When you find that the two teeth of your baby are starting to touch each other then you should teach your child how to floss immediately. Your dentist will be able to show you the correct technique for flossing. You also need to ask your dentist about starting mouth wash. But make sure that you start after your child can spit out things out of his or her mouth.
3. Avoid any 'baby bottle decay'
Pediatricians as well as dentists have been asking parents not to let their baby go to sleep with the baby bottles filled with milk or juice. Parent's don't really realize how this affect the baby's oral health. The bottle has sugary liquids which usually cling on to the teeth of the baby, attract bacteria and hence it leads to tooth decay. If you really want your baby to take a bottle to bed, then you must make sure that you fill it only with water and nothing else.
4. Reduce the sippy cup habit
Now, taking the bottle to bed is just the start of the problem. Sometimes, sipping on juices during the day in sippy cups can also lead to tooth decay. Parents usually substitute water and even milk for juice and provide it to the children in the sippy cup. What they don't realize is that it harms the children. If the child uses the sippy cup on a prolonged basis, then there might be decay in the back of the child's front teeth. If you really want to protect your child's oral health then make sure that you provide the juice only as a treat and not all the time.
5. Chuck the binky by 3 at the max
Parents use pacifiers on children in the hope that they will stop crying and it will keep the child occupied. In fact, studies have even shown that pacifiers help in preventing sudden infant death syndrome. The specialists ask the parents to provide the pacifier when the child goes to sleep but they don't recommend putting it back into the mouth of the child after he or she has fallen asleep. Sucking on a pacifier too strongly actually affects the top as well as the bottom teeth. Hence, the pacifiers should be kept only for the infants and not toddlers.
6. Beware of medicines which are 'mouth unfriendly'
Doctors offer various medications which are flavored and also sugary, and this actually affect the oral health of the child. If you are providing your child any sort of chronic medication like this, then you need to make sure that you get a substitute which does not have any sugary substance or even any flavoring. After all, the oral health of your child is extremely important.
7. Stand your ground when it comes to oral hygiene
Usually children fuss a lot when it comes to oral hygiene but you need to make sure that you stand your ground. Make sure that they brush and floss every single day because it is important for your child. You need to make sure to let them know that they don't have any other option other than brushing and flossing.
