Do you know that how you treat your kids’ oral health will affect their oral hygiene now and in the future? The few mistakes you are making now can be causing you to lose thousands of dollars tomorrow. Choosing the right orthodontist for your kids, for example, can spell the difference between spending a few bucks now or spending tens of thousands of dollars in the next years. How you teach and lead your kids is the building block of their dental hygiene.
Not Taking the Kids to the Dentist Early Enough
Parents have their hands full. What with working and taking care of the household full-time, it’s no surprise that they don’t have the time for other things. They can’t even hang out with friends anymore, so taking the kids to the dentist when there’s no real problem is not ideal. But that’s exactly the problem. Children between the ages of two and three suffer from dental problems. That’s when they need to see a dentist for children.
Not taking the kids to the dentist soon enough is a problem most parents face. Children have to be taken to the dentist when they’re as young as six months old. If you don’t take the kids to the doctor or dentist, the risk of developing oral and dental problems becomes high.
The dentist will examine the mother’s dental history to find out what problems the child will face in the future. This will also give you an idea of what to watch out for regarding your kids’ dental health. Kids as young as six months old should see a dentist.
Putting the Baby to Bed with a Bottle
Do you put your kids to sleep with a feeding bottle? Putting them to sleep with a sippy cup or bottle of juice or formula milk will elevate the amount of sugar and bacteria in their mouth. If they don’t brush or clean their mouth before going to bed, this becomes a problem for their oral health.
More than 85% of parents know and understand the risk of putting their babies to sleep with a bottle. And yet, a whopping 20% still do it anyway. Why is that? Kids are easier to put to sleep when they are fed well. Parents should wipe their mouths before going to sleep since the sugar in milk and juice can cause skin problems around that area.
If you are breastfeeding, a mother’s milk also contains sugar, too. Whether breastfeeding or otherwise, feeding babies while they sleep is bad for their oral health. Use a cloth to wipe the sides of their mouth or if they are old enough, brush their teeth before they sleep.
Not Teaching Good Dental Habits Early
When should you start teaching your kids how to brush their teeth? By age three, they should know how to do this on their own. Teach them to brush their teeth two times a day for two minutes each. Make sure to use kid-friendly toothpaste at first, especially when they don’t know how to spit it out. Once they learn how to spit, you can give them a pea size of fluoridated toothpaste.
It’s easy to forget about teaching your kids how to brush their teeth because it takes so much effort. However, this is one of the most important parts of their daily hygiene. Make sure they know how to brush their teeth at an angle that will reach their gums. You should also begin teaching them how to floss when two of their teeth begin touching each other.
Not Supervising Them While They Brush Their Teeth
Yes, you should teach your kids how to brush their teeth, but you should never let them do it alone. You may want to teach them to be independent but when you let them brush their teeth on their own, they may not learn how to do it right at all. Kids don’t have the right motor skills to brush their teeth until they reach the age of eight.
However, a survey showed that 37% of parents let their kids brush their teeth alone once they are seven years old. This is a year before they are fully capable of really brushing their teeth on their own. At this age, kids usually eat common sugary foods such as bread, juice, and a bit of candy. That’s why it’s more important than ever to teach them proper oral hygiene.
Avoiding these mistakes is crucial for your kids’ oral and dental health. It is also crucial for your pockets. Once your kids hit adolescence, that’s when usual dental problems occur such as tooth decay and gum disease.
Meta title: What Mistakes Are You Making on Your Kids’ Oral Hygiene?
meta desc: Are you being too strict or lenient? Are you listening to expert advice? What mistakes are you making in your kids’ oral hygiene? Your leniency or strictness might not be helping them understand why this is important. Read more here.
