Are You Setting a Good Example for Your Child?

Great dental care is not complicated but all too often a tradition of bad dental habits can be inadvertently passed on to the next generation. So how can you make sure you only promote healthy dental habits? We have compiled a few simple tips of things to look out for when teaching your child about good dental care.

Make Sure You Talk About Dental Care in a Positive Way

We know many adults feel nervous or anxious about seeing a dentist and it is easy to pass these fears and phobias on to kids. Whenever you talk about visiting a dentist, make sure you only use positive terms and don't talk about it being something to be feared. Instead, tell your child how good pediatric dental care will keep their teeth strong and healthy so they have a nice smile and can eat without pain or discomfort.

Purchase Child Oriented Dental Care Products for Home Use

When it comes to home dental care, it is important not to see it as a chore and something to be avoided or completed as quickly as possible. Instead, try to make brushing and flossing fun by purchasing easy-to-use products that are especially designed for young children. A child's toothbrush needs to be small enough to fit in their mouth so they can easily clean all their teeth. It should have soft to medium bristles and it is important to avoid giving them a brush with very hard bristles as you shouldn't encourage them to scrub very hard at their teeth.

Quite often dentists will see young adults who have gum recession that is caused by being taught to brush their teeth as hard as possible when they were kids. It is far better for them to use a softer brush and as long as they have the correct brushing technique, they should be easily able to get their teeth thoroughly clean. In addition, using a softer brush will help to massage the gums, increasing blood flow to these tissues and leading to healthier and stronger gums.

Discourage Bad Habits

Habits such as chewing on pencils, opening packets with your teeth or crunching on ice cubes can all damage teeth. If you have these habits then it is likely your child will copy you and you can protect their teeth and your own by trying to break these oral habits. If you see your child using their teeth for anything other than eating, then try to explain to them that they could damage their teeth, or alternatively we can talk to them next time they visit our pediatric dental office nj.

Other oral habits such as thumb and finger sucking are perfectly okay when a child is young, but if they continue when your child begins to get their adult teeth, then there is a risk of damage to their teeth and jawbone. Thumb sucking can cause the upper jaw to become elongated and narrower and it can pull the upper front teeth outwards. We can talk to you about the best way to discourage thumb sucking and if any damage has been caused they we can provide the most appropriate treatment to help correct these problems.

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