Ways to Improve Your Child's Oral Health

Your child's oral health has a direct impact on overall health and longevity. There are several benefits of improving your child's oral health, including a lower risk of tooth sensitivity and tooth decay, fresher breath, and a reduced risk of cavities and gingivitis. There's ongoing research that shows that the health of your child's mouth can affect other vital organs. Don't let a preventable condition transform into a bigger issue!

At Kids Dental Center, your pediatric dentist of Chandler, AZ, we work hard to ensure that our patients' smiles stay healthy - even in between appointments! In addition to gentle preventive services, we also offer sedation dentistry, oral surgeries, orthodontics, emergency care, and more. Call us today to schedule your child's dental appointment!

Below are several ways to improve your child's oral health:

1. Brush Regularly

You should brush your kid's teeth at least twice a day. Regular teeth brushing plays a major role in eliminating present bacteria and plaque. In addition, effective teeth brushing will improve your child's mouth cleanliness and smile. It's important to use the appropriate teeth cleaning product. Recently, there are numerous teeth cleaning products. Therefore, your dentist will help you pick the right product. Using the right teeth cleaning product and brushing technique will yield great results. There are various merits of regular teeth brushing, such as:

Lower medical bills

Brushing your child's teeth will lower the risk of several health issues, such as dementia, stroke, and heart problems. In addition, regular teeth brushing will prevent tooth issues.

Attain a sparkling smile

Oral health determines your kid's confidence levels. Gleaming and clean teeth improves your smile and confidence. Enhancing your child's confidence level will improve creativity.

Lower risk of toothaches

Toothache is a debilitating and severe health issue that can minimize your kid's concentration.

Prevent gum disease

Based on science, regular tooth brushing will lower your risk of developing mouth infections, gum disease, and other severe oral issues.

Prevent bad breath

Food particles will stick to your teeth. Therefore, the accumulation of contaminants in your teeth will produce an odor smell, thus bad breathe. Therefore, it's important to brush your kid's teeth regularly to eliminate present food particles that can deteriorate teeth health.

There are other benefits of tooth brushing, such as prevent tooth loss and cavities. In addition, teeth brushing plays a vital role in boosting your child's overall health status. If you're not brushing your teeth, your odds of developing severe health issues is high. For instance, your child will be prone to tooth decay, cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath.

2. Drink Lots of Water

Water is an essential element that your kid's body requires to function effectively. Approximately, sixty percent of your body contains water. Drinking lots of clean and distilled water will improve the level of dehydration. In addition, water will lower the rate of reacting contaminants in your mouth. This is essential because it will lower the chances of developing tooth decay and other severe oral health issues.

3. Floss Regularly

Effective tooth brushing can fail to reach your kid's crannies and nooks of the gums and teeth, food residue, and harbor bacteria. Most bacteria that deteriorate your oral health will thrive due to the presence of a moist environment. This the main reason why you should opt for flossing. Flossing can eliminate bacteria and food residue that can't be accessed by the use of a toothbrush. According to medical research, your kid should floss at least once per day.

In addition, there are other factors that'll impact your frequency of flossing. For instance, you should consider factors, such as the size of teeth, types of diets you're child is consuming, and gaps between your kid's teeth. Regular flossing will lower the risk of build-ups in your kid's teeth. In the long run, your kid's mouth will be healthy and sparkling clean. There are other benefits of consistent flossing:

• Lower the risk of developing gum disease
• Reduce the risk of bad breath
• Preventative oral care
• Lower the odds of having tartar build-up

4. Regulate the Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and Foods

Sugary drinks contain citric acid and phosphoric acid. These acids can pose a great danger to your kid's dental health. Based on research, these acids will soften your child's teeth enamel. This will, therefore, increase the risk of tooth decay and cavities, especially in the long run. Your child should avoid sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, such as soda, white bread, and candy.

Note that some foods or drinks can cause persistent dehydration. Your mouth will, therefore, become drier. In the long run, you'll develop various tooth issues, such as bad breath, gum disease, and tooth decay. Sugar reacts with certain bacteria in plaque, thus producing harmful acid. This acid softens your kid's enamel, thus creating holes in the teeth. Natural sugars aren't harmful compared to processed/refined sugars. Examples of natural sugars include molasses, maple syrup, and honey.

5. Use Mouthwash

Mouthwash works just like flossing. Therefore, you should select the right mouthwash that will suit your child's oral health. There are several reasons why your child should opt for a sustainable mouthwash. These reasons include:

- Plays a significant role in neutralizing acidity in your mouth
- Kill harmful micro-organisms and bacteria in your kid's mouth
- Adds important minerals to your teeth, thus enhancing the strength of your teeth.

Before choosing a certain mouthwash, you should consult your dentist. Your dentist will help you select the right mouthwash that'll improve your oral and overall health.

6. Visit the Dentist Regularly

Regular dental visits are an essential dental care practice. Schedule appointments in order for your child can get used to the noises and bright lights in a dental care unit. Your child's teeth should be checked from an early age. Teeth checkups are an essential technique that'll help identify the onset of serious health issues, such as gingivitis, cavities, and gum disease. Early recognition of an oral health issue will reduce your medical bills.

A minor oral health problem will require minimal medications and so on. Ignoring minor tooth issues may cause major health issues, such as dementia and stroke. Some of these serious issues may impact your overall well-being and the rate of productivity. There are things you should consider when choosing the right dentist for your child's oral health. For instance, you should consider factors, such as reputation, experience, quality of work, customer service, availability, and many more.

7. Eat Healthy Foods

Unhealthy foods, such as sugary and starchy foods, can increase your risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay. A great oral health routine will be helpful in the short term. A balanced diet will play a great role in promoting healthy gums and teeth. Your child should consume a diet of vegetables, fruits, calcium-rich diets, and proteins. Below are some foods that'll improve your child's oral health.

Carrots

Various vegetables, such as celery, crunchy veggie, and carrots require more chewing. Persistent chewing will clean your child's teeth surfaces. In addition, a crunchy veggie that contains more water content will act as a natural teeth cleaner, thus stimulating the flow of saliva. This will help in eliminating present bacteria and food particles. Concurrently, this will prevent bad breath and other serious oral health issues.

Milk and Cheese

Cheese is a great source of calcium and it has low sugar content. In addition, cheese and milk contain casein which improves your kid's enamel. Calcium plays a vital role in enhancing bone density. Some scientific research shows that cheese contains phosphate content that helps in maintaining balanced pH levels in your kid's mouth.

Pears and Apples

Fibrous fruits, such as pears and apples, will clean your teeth and enhance the rate of saliva production. Increasing saliva will neutralize malic and citric acids in the mouth.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, and lettuce, contain vital minerals, vitamins, folic acid, and calcium. These leafy greens will clean your teeth effectively, thus lowering the risk of tartar build-ups.

Other helpful food and fruits you should opt for include nuts, fatty fish, coffee, and tea.

8. Use Mouthguards to Prevent Teeth Damage, Especially During Sports

In order to minimize the risk of tooth damage, you should invest in the right mouth guards. Mouthguards are essential in protecting your kid's mouth and teeth. In addition, you can opt for face cages if your child has an interest in hockey or baseball. Teeth cracks require more medical attention, thus rising your medical bills. In addition, some sports may weaken your teeth. Therefore, you'll invest your money in braces to align and position your teeth.

9. Invest in the Right Toothbrush

The quality of your child's toothbrush may have some impact on dental health. Avoid a toothbrush with rough or tough bristles because your child can hurt dental health. You can consult your dentist if you lack sufficient info about different types of toothbrushes. The best toothbrush should have the ability to clean your child's teeth effectively.

Your Child Deserves Great Dental Care!

Call today to schedule your child's dental appointment with Kids Dental Center. We look forward to becoming your new dental home!