Teaching your children to look after their teeth from a young age will help them maintain healthy smiles for life.
Taking care of your children’s teeth is an important part of helping them to maintain good oral health throughout their lives. With a combination of good oral hygiene, a healthy, balanced diet and regular dental check-ups, it’s possible to keep your little ones’ smiles in tip-top shape.
Set an example
Good oral hygiene starts at home, and you can start to demonstrate the importance of habits like brushing and flossing to your children from a very young age. As soon as your little one’s first tooth appears, you can begin to brush it with a small-bristled toothbrush. As your child gets older, you can make brushing fun by playing a favourite song or creating a reward chart. From around the age of 18 months old, your child can use a child-strength fluoride toothpaste. Be sure to explain the importance of good oral health to your children, and set a good example by following a good oral hygiene routine yourself. This includes brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing on a daily basis.
Eat a balanced diet
One of the best things you can do for your children is to teach them the value of eating a healthy, balanced diet. Not only will this help to keep their teeth healthy and strong, but a diet high in nutritious, whole foods is good for overall health as well. We recommend that you limit the amount of sugar that your child consumes — the occasional treat shouldn’t cause an issue, but too many sugary snacks and drinks can be detrimental to their oral health. Encourage them to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and to stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking water. Calcium and protein-rich foods like cheese and yoghurt make great snacks, while fibrous fruits and vegetables like celery, carrots and apples help to stimulate the gums when you chew them and help to clean away bacteria and food debris from the teeth.
Go for regular check-ups
Coming in for regular dental check-ups and cleans can go a long way in maintaining healthy teeth and gums in the long term. We recommend that you bring your child in to see us once every six months. This will give us the opportunity to thoroughly examine their teeth and identify any potential issues at an early stage. We encourage our patients to bring their children in for check-ups from the age of two or three years old. This will ensure that your child becomes accustomed to our practice from a young age and that they feel comfortable with our staff. Our team loves treating children, and we will always do our best to make appointments fun for our youngest patients.
At van der Walt Dental, we offer a range of children’s dentistry services, including check-ups, cleans and fillings. We also support the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, which allows eligible children between the ages of two- and 17-years old access to $1000 every two years to cover basic dental services.
To make an appointment to see us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our practice!