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Five Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Strong And Healthy

Five Ways to Keep Your Children’s Teeth Strong And Healthy

 

Caring for your teeth is something that none of us can take for granted, regardless of our age. This is especially true for children, who need all the help they can get to ensure they have a good foundation for dental health for the rest of their lives.

From a personal point of view, it is also really heartening when you take your child to the dentist for their regular check-up, and they are given a clean bill of health. Of course, it won’t always be this way, but there are plenty of things you can do to ensure your children have strong, healthy teeth.

Here are Dental Care Ireland’s top five tips for healthy children’s teeth:

 

  1. Regular Brushing

As parents, we all know that brushing and flossing can be a chore, but we do it because it has become a “good habit”. Encourage your children to make it their good habit by making them brush twice a day: once in the morning and once at night. If it becomes a routine, there’s more chance that it will continue to be so for the rest of their lives. You can help this process by starting children brushing their teeth as soon as the first tooth appears, though always with supervision so they don’t swallow toothpaste. You can also make it fun by timing it or by making into a game where each tooth gets brushed.

Find out more on this subject.

 

  1. Restrict Sugary Drinks

The dangers to young teeth from sugar have become even more apparent in recent years. We also now know that it is not just soft drinks, sodas and sports and energy drinks that can cause decay because of their sugar content. It is also natural fruit juices, even if they say “no added sugar”. Also, diet soft drinks can contain acids which are not good for children’s teeth. Make water and milk the preferred options and restrict the more sugary options to treats only or, if necessary, to mealtimes. Again, this is a good habit for children to develop.

Find out more on the big offenders.

 

  1. Watch What They Eat – and When

The same rules apply to the food our children eat. It seems these days nearly everything contains added sugar, so obviously be wary about giving them too much of things such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, chocolate and sweets. However, also watch out for breads, cereals and “healthy” bars which may also contain added sugar. And note that “sugar” may come under different headings in lists of ingredients, including dextrose, fructose, honey, “high-fructose corn syrup” and many others. In general, try to get your children to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, along with their carbohydrates (bread, rice, potatoes, pasta), protein (meat, fish, beans, eggs) and dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheeses). It is also better, whenever possible, to have them eating healthy, family meals as opposed to snacking throughout the day. If they do need to snack, introduce fresh fruit, such as apples or grapes, or vegetables, such as tomatoes or peppers, as the go-to snack as early as possible. Also, it is worth bearing in mind that cheese is a good option as it neutralises acid and contains calcium, which helps the tooth surface.

Find out more on the right things for children to eat.

 

  1. Keep an Eye on Things

It might seem like simple advice, but it is important to monitor your children’s teeth and listen to your children when they tell you about any pain or sensitivity. It is also worth having a look in their mouths before and after they brush to make sure they are doing a good job and to see if there are any cavities. Like with most things in life, if problems do occur, the earlier they are spotted, the better. As your children get older and new teeth appear, it is also worth bearing in mind that they may need orthodontic treatment at some point. Again, the earlier this is dealt with, the better for all concerned.

Find out more about dental examinations.

 

  1. Regular Visits to The Dentist

It is worth taking your child to the dentist for their first check-up when they are as young as one year old or when their first teeth begin to appear. This has two beneficial results: first, it allows the dentist to make sure the teeth are growing properly and second, it gets children used to the dentist, which is essential. Waiting until a child has a toothache to visit the dentist is a guaranteed way of ensuring they will not enjoy the visit and develop a fear of the dentist as a result. After that initial trip, visits can be every six months or whenever your dentist advises.

 

There is also no better time than the mid-term break to schedule a check-up. To help with this, Dental Care Ireland practices in Carlow, Kells and Ashbourne are offering offer all children’s check-ups at half-price on February 20th-24th.

 

Book an appointment for your children in your local Dental Care Ireland practice.

Many thanks and happy brushing!

The Dental Care Ireland Team

 

 

Dental Care Ireland’s Latest Children’s Offer; Half Term? Half Price!

Half Term? Half Price!

Dental Care Ireland latest Children’s Offer will give you something to do with the kids this Mid-Term?

Why not use the time to get their teeth checked?

For the Mid-Term break only, Dental Care Ireland is offering half-price dental check-ups for children at our dental practices throughout the country.

So book your children’s dental check-up at Dental Care Ireland today.