How to Promote Kids' Dental Health

Establishing healthy habits when it comes to your teeth is something that it's best to get as early a start on as soon as possible. Kids who bush and floss regularly are far less likely to be at risk for dental complications later in life. As anyone who's ever undergone extensive dental work as an adult can tell you, they sure wish they'd taken that ounce of prevention rather than suffering through what seems like a ton of cure. Read on to learn how to encourage your kids to take those preventative steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Child-sized toothbrush for each child (to be replaced every 3 months)
• Children's toothpaste
• Child-sized flossers and/or Waterpik

1. Let your child pick out her own toothbrush. Children's toothbrushes are available in designs featuring a wide range of favorite cartoon characters. Some brushes even play music or light up. These latter types of brush are great for letting kids know just how long they need to brush.

2. Consider a power toothbrush. Some kids like them, some do not. Choose one of the less expensive disposable models before investing in one.

3. Consider a power brush. Some kids like them; some do not. Choose a disposable model before investing in one of the more expensive ones that comes with replaceable heads.

4. Teach your child a little song or counting rhyme so he can learn to brush for the appropriate length of time (1 to 2 minutes). You could also buy a little timer if he prefers.

5. Look for child-sized flossers. These are much easier for children to use than just wrapping floss around their (or your) fingers. If your child really hates to floss, consider buying a Waterpik. Many dentists recommend these, as they really do an excellent job (even if you do have to find additional space in the bathroom for one more appliance). Waterpiks really are the best choice for kids with braces.

6. Choose your treats wisely. A little candy once in a while isn't a bad thing; but some types are better than others. Chocolate is a pretty good choice because it does not stick to the teeth. Caramels and soft, chewy candy like Starburst or hard chewy candy like Jolly Ranchers do stick to teeth. They are the worst kind of candy for dental health.

7. Supervise your child's toothbrushing sessions. Dentists actually recommend that parents help or do all of the brushing until children are about 8 years old.

Tips & Warnings

• Cheese is actually quite good for the teeth. It helps to make saliva less acidic. Eating cheese at the end of a meal is not only very continental, it also promotes good dental health.
• If your child can't brush right after eating, at least have her drink a glass of water to help rinse her teeth.