Brush up on your children’s dental health

True or false: Because baby teeth fall out early in life, kids don’t need to get serious about dental health until their permanent teeth start coming in. The answer is FALSE—and that’s exactly the kind of teeth your child could end up with if you don’t take dental health seriously from an early age. Did you know children who develop cavities early in life are at a far greater risk of having cavities in their adult teeth? Cavities can mean a lifetime of mouth pain and expensive dental work, and can even lead to serious medical concerns like diabetes and heart problems. To ensure that your child grows up to have a healthy, happy smile, the best offense is a good defense. Here are a few ways to promote healthy teeth in young children: Brush children’s teeth as soon as they come in. Using children’s toothpaste with fluoride, start brushing a child’s budding teeth and gums the moment a tooth comes in. Don’t worry about baby’s mouth being too sensitive—if they’re old enough to grow a tooth, they’re old enough to have it brushed. Brush your preschoolers’ teeth for them. Just because children are old enough to put toothpaste on a brush and place it in their mouth, doesn’t mean they can scrub well enough to get rid of plaque. Parents should be brushing kids’ teeth for them until they are about 6 years old to make sure that a thorough job is done. Try standing behind the child when you brush, using your free hand to move the lips an...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: All posts Parenting Department of Dentistry at Boston Children's Hospital teeth brushing Source Type: news