As the weather warms up and gets sunny ☀️, children are outside more participating in sports and recreational activities ?♂️
As pediatric dentists, we highly promote the use of facial protection, such as mouth guards and helmets. But why may you ask?
There is a high chance of injury to your child's teeth and mouth during participation in sports and recreational activities! As dentists, we work hard to help families prevent these injuries as best as we can.
But of course, dental injuries unfortunately do happen quite often. If your child ever has an injury to their mouth, please contact to our child's dentist ASAP! We take dental injury emergencies very seriously and some injuries may be time sensitive to take care of.
A great resource that families can use is a phone app called ToothSOS (Disclaimer: we have no financial obligations to this application, it is just a great resource!). Families can easily pull up what injury their child has and follow the instructions on the app until they can reach their dentist.
Have fun and stay safe in the sun! ☀️ Don't forget to have your children wear mouthguards and helmets!!
With each new year comes new resolutions! We came up with a few to help you start off the year with great dental health for your child!
Regular brushing routine: Our guidelines recommend that parents help their child brush 2x/day for 2 minutes each time. We know how hard it can be to do this, especially for our youngest patients. The most important thing is to establish a regular brushing routine - such as bath, brush, book, bed. Having a regular routine that your child can get used to brushing is much better than pushing for brushing 2x/day.
Healthy food choices: It's always easy to say: "we have to eat healthier!" Healthy food choices doesn't have to mean no sugar, no sweets ever. What's more important is how often your child is consuming these sweet treats. Having the treat ocassionally as a dessert or special occasion is much healthier for your teeth than having it every day throughout the day. The more we expose our teeth to sugar, the more likely your teeth may develop cavities!
Don't forget to see your dentist at least 2 times a year! Regular check ups not only have keep your child's mouth healthy and cavity free, this helps establish a healthy habit that your child will hold on to when they are adults. Children who had great experiences at the dentist as a child are more likely to continue to seek dental care when they are older!
Need help with last minute holiday shopping? Here are a few of Dr. Norman and Dr. Cat's favorites! :)
1) Children's toothbrushes - You can make brushing fun by having your child choose a toothbrush with their favorite character! Our Drs. daughter LOVES Bluey, so what better toothbrush to choose? Make sure that toothbrushes are age appropriate with soft or extrasoft bristles and don't forget fluoridated or hydroxyapatite toothpaste!
2) Electric toothbrushes - For those children old enough for electric toothbrushes, having your child pick their favorite character or color brush will make brushing so much more exciting! You can also get a brush that is associated with a phone app or timer to make sure your child brushes for the full 2 minutes (always make sure brushing is supervised in younger children!)
3) Biodegradable and plastic-free floss picks - We find that floss picks make flossing super easy for parents and kids! We favor environmentally friendly floss options!
4) For our youngest children - our favorite "brush" is the banana! It works as a great teether, it can help sooth gums, and is safe for infants to hold on their own (the protective handles prevent children from pushing the whole brush in their mouth). This is a great introduction to brushing even before teeth come in the mouth!
5) And of course - we can't forget our favorite toy options! For children who are nervous of going to the dentist, these dentist playsets help familiarize children with the dental setting, making going to the dentist a less scary place!
We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!
*Disclaimer: We do not endorse, sponsor, or have any financial obligation to any of the products shown in this post.
Flossing is more than just a super cool dance move - Flossing is an important part of maintaining good oral hygiene, and it's especially important for children. While brushing is important for removing plaque and bacteria from the surfaces of the teeth, flossing is the only way to remove things from between the teeth.
Flossing should be started as soon as the child has teeth that are touching each other. This is usually around the age of 2-3 years old. Parents or caregivers should help their children floss to ensure that they are doing it properly. As the child grows older, they will be able to floss on their own.
Flossing may be difficult for some children, especially those with small mouths. In these cases, it may be helpful to use floss holders to make the flossing easier. Also, there's special floss picks made just for braces that make flossing much easier as well!
We understand that flossing can be a difficult habit to establish, but we are here to help with any questions you may have to help build healthy routines!
