Posted by: Maplewood Dental Arts in Family Dentist

How to Keep Your Kid’s Teeth Healthy as They Head Back-To-School!

The start of the school year is a great time to re-commit to healthy habits that ensure your kids maintain excellent dental health! Here are some recommendations for keeping your child’s teeth and mouth healthy and protected as they head into the new school year:

Re-establish a healthy home dental care routine!

A regular school schedule means that kids are more likely to have set waking and bedtimes. This return to a more regular schedule is helpful in reestablishing a home dental care routine which may have slipped over the summer.

An ideal home dental care routine includes brushing twice daily for at least 2 minutes per brushing, flossing at least one a day, and using an alcohol-free fluoride mouth rinse at night, swished around the mouth for at least 30 seconds.

Making brushing fun helps to get your kids excited to care for their teeth! One easy way is to have your child choose a favorite song and set it to play for two minutes while they brush their teeth. Or they could pick a few favorite songs to create a whole brushing playlist, with a different song to play at each brushing!

Stickers are another way to get your kids excited about dental care. You can hang a simple calendar in the bathroom and reward your kids with a sticker each time they brush and floss. Creating a reward system helps your kids in making home dental care a fun part of their day!

Pack your kids off to school with healthy, teeth-friendly snacks!

The routine of an average school day is a big help in keeping your kid’s teeth healthy. Having a set time for snacks and lunch prevents kids from constantly snacking throughout the day, which can promote the buildup of the harmful plaque that causes cavities.

Some dental health-promoting foods to pack their school bags with are baby carrots or other cut up veggies with hummus for dipping; whole or cut up fruits like apples, oranges, and bananas; chunks of cheddar cheese or mozzarella string cheese; and nuts like almonds or cashews, as long as they are not allergic.

To drink, water is always the best choice! When sent in a fun, re-usable bottle of their choosing, water not only keeps your kids hydrated, it contains nothing that can harm their teeth. While other kid-popular beverages, like fruit juices, flavored seltzer waters, and electrolyte sports drinks are often low in sugar or sugar-free, the acidity of these beverage choices can lead to tooth decay.

Protect your kid’s teeth on the playing field with a custom mouthguard!

Playing an after-school sport is a great way to learn about teamwork and get some energy out after a long day of learning, but rough play or inadvertent accidents on the field that damage teeth or the other soft tissue of the mouth and tongue account for 20% of all school sports-related injuries!

You can protect against teeth and mouth injuries with a custom mouthguard. At MDA, we offer affordable custom mouth guards, which are created and fitted individually for your child’s mouth! We offer both solid color mouthguards and multi-colored mouthguards, meaning your kid’s mouthguard can not only protect, but also show support for their team!

Schedule a comprehensive cleaning at Maplewood Dental Arts!

Routine preventative dental care visits are important part of maintaining your kid’s healthy smiles. At MDA, we love caring for your kid’s teeth and we are committed to ensuring that they get the best possible dental care at any age.

Regular preventive dental care visits include a comprehensive check of the teeth and mouth, allowing us to identify and treat any problems early. Undiagnosed dental problems can disrupt your kid’s healthy sleep or cause painful emergencies that could prevent your child from doing their best at school. Bringing your kids in for regular preventative dental care visits gives you piece of mind about the good health of your kid’s smiles as they head back to school!

The start of a new school year is a busy time for both kids and parents, as your calendar steadily fills up with new school and sports commitments! Starting the school year with a visit to the dentist, reestablishing a regular home dental care routine, packing lunchboxes with teeth-friendly snacks, drinks, and lunches, and protecting smiles on the playing field ensures that the health of your kid’s teeth is one less thing to worry about this school year!