Get a Head Start on Great Oral Health!

Healthy Habits at Home

Reinforcing good dental hygiene at home, in-between visits, is an important part of creating big smiles! When your children develop healthy habits now, you are setting them up for a lifetime of great oral health.

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Tips for a Healthy Mouth for Kids

When your children develop healthy habits now, you are setting them up for a lifetime of great oral health.

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Two minutes, Two times a day
Brushing in the morning and at nighttime for two minutes each time with a fluoridated toothpaste helps prevent tooth decay. Remember, at nighttime, only water after brushing before bedtime! Parents and caregivers should help or watch over their kids’ tooth brushing abilities until they’re at least 8 years old.
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When to Start Brushing
As soon as the first tooth erupts, it is susceptible to plaque and tooth decay. For this reason, it is important to begin brushing your child’s teeth as soon as they first appear.
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Flossing
Kids should clean between their teeth once a day, every day, with floss or flossers to remove plaque and food where a toothbrush can’t reach. Children’s teeth can be flossed as soon as two of their teeth touch each other.
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The Right Toothbrush
Kids should use a soft-bristled toothbrush that allows them to reach all areas of their mouth. Remember to replace toothbrushes every three-four months and even sooner if the bristles are worn out, or if your children have been sick.
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Support Dental Health with a Balanced Diet

Dietary Recommendations

A balanced diet promotes lifelong oral health. Check out our dietary advice below.

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Balanced Diet
A balanced diet helps your children’s teeth and gums to be healthy. A diet high in natural or added sugars may place your child at extra risk for tooth decay.
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Juice Guidelines
Children ages one to six years old should consume no more than four to six ounces of fruit juice per day, as part of a meal. Also, sugary or starchy food is safer for teeth if it is eaten with a meal, not as a snack. Chewing during a meal helps produce saliva which helps wash away sugar and starch.
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Crunchy & Sticky Foods
Foods like potato chips, crackers, raisins, dried fruit, candy and even gummy vitamins are not easily washed away from kids’ teeth by saliva, water or milk, thereby increasing your child’s risk for developing cavities.
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Healthy Snacks
Healthy snacks for children’s overall nutrition and to promote good dental health include fruits, vegetables, nuts and cheeses.
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Get a Head Start on Great Oral Health

Teething

Common Signs

Common signs include mild irritability, drooling, and an occasional low-grade fever. Drooling can start months before the first tooth arrives!

Easing Discomfort

To ease discomfort, try non-medicinal methods first including giving the child something clean and safe to chew on, like a teething ring or cool wet cloth. Wet a cloth, squeeze out the excess water, put it in a plastic baggie, and toss it in the refrigerator. The chill from the cloth as the baby chews on it will help relieve the irritation and massage the gums.

No Teething Gels

Teething gels that are applied to the gums should be avoided, as they can be harmful to your baby’s health. Instead, giving the appropriate dosage of children’s Tylenol can provide relief.