Encouraging your child to develop healthy oral hygiene habits now can help him or her maintain a healthy smile for years to come. Our Elmhurst dentists are here with some simple recommendations as you guide your child through the world of dental care. Keep reading to get more information!
Lead by Example
One of the best things that you can do is to be diligent and highly visible about your own dental care routine. When your child sees you maintaining healthy oral hygiene habits, he or she is more likely to follow suit.
Stick to a Schedule
Consistent routine is the key to helping habits stick. Set aside time in the morning during which your child should clean his or her mouth. In order to ensure that your child is brushing for an adequate amount of time (the ADA recommendation is around 2 minutes), set a timer or listen to a song that is 2 minutes long.
Schedule Professional Cleanings
Our dental team is here to be your partner in teaching your child healthy oral hygiene habits. Our dentist takes the time to teach our pediatric patients about the root causes of oral health problems, as well as things they can do to protect their smiles. Plus, it is important for your child to have positive experiences in the dentist’s chair; this makes it less likely that your child will deal with dental anxiety in the future.
Assess Your Child’s Dental Tools
You want to make sure that the toothbrush that your child is using is small enough to fit into the back of his or her mouth—the molars are prone to developing cavities precisely because they are hard to reach. Regarding fluoride in toothpaste: if your child is still swallowing toothpaste he or she should be using a fluoride-free formulation.
Our Elmhurst family dentists are happy to give you any additional information that you may need. Call our office or use the Contact Us page on our website when you are ready to get started!