Early Start
By the time your child starts kindergarten, daily morning and night tooth-brushing routines have long been established, but it’s still important that parents support this excellent habit. Teaching children about dental care and the necessity of taking care of their teeth is one of the best lessons a parent can share. As the website Know Your Teeth espouses, “Starting early is critical to success in preserving a healthy smile for a lifetime.”
Be Good Role Models
It’s a proven fact that children react well to routines, so infusing dental care into their daily regimen and making it a routine will avoid the pitfalls of parents who are lax or inconsistent with their children who may subconsciously develop the notion that while “good for you,” it’s not essential, when it clearly is. Perpetuate the notion of the critical relevance of daily dental care by making it clear that you, too, as parents, practice regular brushing and flossing. Make sure they see you adhering to a schedule, even consider brushing with them, and making it a family activity.
Seek Professional Help
In addition to teaching children how to and the importance of brushing and flossing, they’ll need regular visits for further maintenance and health of their teeth. You may need to look for a dentist in Brisbane CBD and a search will lead you to one of the most highly regarded clinics, Monterey Keys.
For the Family
Many parents may be drawn to dentists whose practices are geared toward children only, and feature colourful offices with toys strewn around the waiting area. However, in keeping with the theme of family dental care – i.e. you’re all in it together, it is a great idea to look for a family dentist. Even if you’re not making back-to-back or same day appointments, it will be comforting to your child that you share a dentist, especially when they see a paediatrician and the adults in the household see their own doctor. What you want to look for is a practice which caters to both adults and children and is skilled and trained in working with the health and temperament of all ages.
Dental To-Dos For Your Five- to 12-Year Old
- Continue to use the fluoride toothpaste you began using when they were three-years-old.
- Be sure your child continues to spit out the fluoride toothpaste
- Set appointments with a family dentist in Brisbane every six months for your child
- Make sure you teach your child to floss, add it to his/her routine as soon as their teeth begin to touch
- Your child should have an understanding that their baby teeth falling out is normal as their “grown-up” teeth grow in.
- Continue to assist your child with their am/pm routine until you’re confident he/she can brush and floss thoroughly and confidentially whilst alone.
- At this age, it’s important to stress how critical it is to get their back teeth – they’re harder to reach, but plaque tends to be left in this area more.
- Emphasize how important it is to not “rush” either the morning or evening dental routine; let your child know that they need to be thorough to reach every tooth in their mouths.
By making sure your child understands how important their daily routine is, you’ll be giving them the gift of beautiful, healthy teeth.