As a parent, you probably know the struggle of getting your child to brush their teeth well — let alone floss! Keeping up with good dental hygiene can be challenging for kids, but building these habits early is really important.

In this article, we’ll talk about some important steps you can take to keep your child’s smile beautiful and healthy. Follow these tips (which are from pediatric orthodontists) and consider scheduling a virtual orthodontic exam for your child with Centerton Orthodontics in South Jersey.

Prioritize Drinking Water Over Sugary Drinks

Encourage your child to drink water often. It honestly does wonders for their dental health! Drinking water helps produce saliva, which naturally cleans the mouth and keeps it moist. This helps to reduce the buildup of food particles and bacteria that can cause cavities.

Encourage Your Child to Eat Less Sugar

As much as kids love sugary foods like candy, sugar is one of the biggest threats to their dental health. Sugar converts into acid in the mouth, which erodes tooth enamel and leads to cavities. Too much sugar can also cause bad breath and other dental issues, like early tooth decay.

While the occasional piece of candy or cake is fine, keeping a close watch on sugar intake is one of the best things you can do to protect your child’s smile.

Make Regular Dental Appointments

Seeing the dentist regularly is really important for both kids and adults. At each visit, your child’s dentist will remove plaque and tartar buildup, check for cavities, and make sure that any previous dental work is holding up well.

Consider Making a Pediatric Orthodontic Consultation

If your child’s dentist notices any signs of misalignment or bite issues, they might recommend that your child see a pediatric orthodontist. Getting an early evaluation can save your child a whole lot of trouble down the road.

Pediatric orthodontics includes preventive care that’s designed to anticipate and treat developing issues (like crowding, bite problems, and spacing issues). Some preventive orthodontic treatments include:

Parent Education

As a parent, it’s important that you’re educated about how to keep your child’s teeth healthy. The dentist will provide you with advice and guidance on how to help your kid build and maintain good dental habits.

Milk Teeth Care

It’s a good idea to take your kid to the orthodontist when they still have some of their baby teeth. An orthodontist will be able to determine whether any issues with your kid’s baby teeth will cause future problems when their adult teeth grow in.

Space Maintenance

An orthodontist will also be able to perform procedures in order to keep space open for your child’s permanent teeth after their baby teeth fall out. For example, they might use an appliance called a “space maintainer” to keep a space open so that the teeth surrounding it don’t shift into that space.

Orthodontists in Bridgeton, NJ, offer virtual orthodontic exams to make consultations easier and more convenient for both parents and kids. This means you’ll be able to start early treatment planning right away without needing to visit the office in person.

Make Flossing a Habit

Flossing is just as important as brushing when it comes to keeping your child’s smile healthy. If your child finds it difficult to use traditional floss, have them try using floss picks (since they tend to be easier for kids with small hands to use). Regular flossing helps remove any buildup between teeth and can prevent cavities and gum disease from developing.

Focus on Proper Brushing Technique

Brushing your teeth may not seem complicated, but there is actually a “right” way to do it, and small children might not understand this. Make sure that your child brushes their teeth twice a day for at least two minutes every time. Their dentist can show them how to brush their teeth properly.

Some parents find that using a timer makes it easier for kids to brush for the full two minutes. As an aside, if your child is still waiting for their baby teeth to come in, you can gently wipe their gums with a clean, damp washcloth. This will help keep their mouth clean while they’re teething.

Encourage Your Child to Wear Their Retainer

If your child has completed orthodontic treatment with braces or aligners, it’s very important that they wear their retainer as instructed. Teeth have a natural “memory” and will try to shift back to their original positions, especially right after braces come off.

Wearing a retainer consistently will help keep the teeth in their new, straight positions. Your child might be reluctant to wear their retainer, especially if they just got their braces taken off. Try to emphasize that wearing their retainer is necessary if they don’t want to end up in braces again.

Break the Thumb-Sucking Habit

If your child has a strong thumb-sucking habit, consider working with them to reduce and eventually stop this behavior. Pediatric orthodontists will often provide guidance or even specific tools to help kids break this common habit.

Consider Invisalign First

Invisalign First is an option that’s available for younger children. As you might have guessed, it provides the same benefits as traditional Invisalign but is specifically designed to fit the needs of children as their permanent teeth come in.

These aligners are removable (which means kids can brush and floss as usual), and they’re meant to help guide jaw growth to make sure that the permanent teeth have enough space to grow in. Invisalign First is suitable for kids as young as six to ten years old. Ask your orthodontist in South Jersey if it might be a good option for your child!

Conclusion

Children need to learn early on that taking proper care of their dental health is really important. If the idea of scheduling in-office visits is too overwhelming, you can always set up a virtual orthodontic exam with Centerton Orthodontics. We’re here to help you keep your child’s smile healthy and beautiful!