Introduction
According to Iqaluit Dental Clinic, ignoring or putting off your child’s dental care can result in several missed school days. Research shows that around 80 hours of school days were missed on average due to dental pain. Let’s check out a few tips for back-to-school dental care.
Tips & Tricks
- Dental checkup once a year – As you prepare for sending your child back to school, don’t forget to schedule a pediatric dental care visit. It’s important to schedule a dental visit for your child before the start of the school year. Setting up a reminder on your calendar helps you not forget the appointment. During the visit, the dentist would check your child’s mouth for decay, cavities, discoloured teeth and more such issues. They would also inspect your child’s teeth growth and jaw structure and end the appointment with a thorough cleaning and polishing.
- Remind your child about proper brushing and flossing techniques – Till the age of 7, you need to monitor your child’s oral hygiene habits closely and make sure to correct their brushing and flossing techniques as necessary. Make sure that your child brushes at least twice a day and rinse their mouth with the same frequency. To imbue good brushing techniques in your child, you can download apps or set a timer.
This also motivates your child to brush their teeth properly till it becomes a routine and a daily habit that gets hardwired in them. While teaching brushing and rinsing is easy, flossing requires more patience and time. You can floss together with your child to teach them the right flossing technique without injuring their baby gums. It will take time but being persistent would help teach your kids the right flossing technique.
- Limit sweets and candies – Sugary and sticky candies and sweets remain in the mouth for a longer time and are more difficult to brush away. It takes your saliva as much as 20 minutes to neutralize the level of harmful acids that increase in your mouth due to sticky and sugary food. If your child develops the habit of eating candies multiple times a day, the risk of cavities increases drastically. Moreover, sugary candies are no better than drugs.
Research shows that the effects of sugar addiction, withdrawal and relapse are similar and, in some cases, worse than those of drug abuse. You have a lot of good reasons to prevent your child from getting addicted to sugar. Instead of sugary treats, give your child healthier options like nuts and fruits. If sugar can’t be avoided, give your child a sugary treat only after a meal. The food that’s eaten previously provides some level of protection against sugar.
Conclusion
Iqaluit Dental Clinic suggests that you use the above-mentioned tips to maintain your child’s dental health. This isn’t just good for their overall health, but also results in good grades and improved focus and they aren’t distracted by toothaches. Your child also gets to avoid serious problems like cavities and gum disease.