5 Tips For Keeping Your Child’s Teeth Healthy

Parents understand the importance of teaching their children how to brush and keep their teeth healthy. But just in case you need the added motivation to keep up with their dental hygiene diligence, here are a few worrisome facts.

One out of 10 children have at least one cavity by their second birthday. The number rises to half of all children by the time they’re five.

Roy Hudgens, DMD, and his caring team of dental health professionals at Hudgens Dental, located in Charleston, South Carolina, are dedicated to helping children build habits that support a lifetime of healthy teeth.

In addition to routine checkups and creating connections that reduce dental anxiety in children, our team answers parents’ questions about dental hygiene and how to provide age-appropriate support for their children.

Keep reading to learn our five essential tips for children’s dental care.

Get an early start

Long before teeth appear, you can lay the foundation for healthy teeth by cleaning your baby’s gums with a clean, damp cloth. Cleaning their gums after every meal or at least twice daily removes bacteria that cause decay in erupting teeth.

Care for baby teeth like they’re permanent

Though baby teeth are only temporary, they need to stay healthy. In addition to chewing food, your baby needs their teeth to speak properly. Baby teeth also protect the space adult teeth need to grow in.

After the first tooth comes in, use a small, soft toothbrush. While brushing along the sides and tops of their teeth, use gentle circular motions to prevent putting too much pressure on their gums.

You can also add a little fluoride toothpaste, but keep it smaller than a dab the size of a grain of rice until age three. Then, you can increase the amount of toothpaste to the size of a pea. It’s also essential to make sure they don’t swallow the toothpaste.

Schedule their first dental visit

Children should visit our office when their first tooth comes in or no later than their first birthday. We set the stage for ongoing dental care by keeping this visit fun and stress-free.

Our goal is to introduce them to the team and the office while talking about the importance of caring for their teeth. If your child is comfortable, we do a visual exam to ensure there aren’t any obvious problems.

We typically perform a complete dental checkup when all their baby teeth come in, which is around age three.

Teach how to brush

Most children are ready to learn how to brush their teeth around their second or third birthday. However, they depend on your help because they don’t have the coordination to brush properly at that age.

Although children can take responsibility for brushing twice daily at any age (each child is different), they still need supervision until they’re 6-8. Parents must watch to ensure their child has good dental habits and consistently cleans their teeth.

Teach your child to brush for two minutes. Most children are motivated by simple techniques that make it fun. For example, you can sing a fun song (or a few lines of their favorite song) that lasts two minutes. Or, if it’s within your budget, you could get an electric toothbrush that plays tunes.

Teach your child to brush for two minutes. Most children are motivated by simple techniques that make it fun. For example, you can sing a fun song (or a few lines of their favorite song) that lasts two minutes. Or, if it’s within your budget, you could get an electric toothbrush that plays tunes.

Keep up with regular checkups

Scheduling a dental checkup every six months allows us to catch any problems early before the decay becomes significant enough to cause pain or extensive tooth damage. A professional cleaning also eliminates tartar and plaque that are hard to remove even with routine brushing.

If you have any questions about your child’s dental health or it’s time to schedule a checkup, use online booking or call Hudgens Dental today.