This February, Celebrate National Children’s Dental Month with Bolton Family Dental
Three decades ago, the American Dental Association (ADA) established national children’s dental health month to promote the benefits of starting early to achieve good oral health. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that tooth decay is the most prevalent condition among children in the country, overtaking asthma and hay fever. Research by the (CDC) reveals that approximately 40 percent of children will have some tooth decay before entering kindergarten. Fortunately, the bright spot for parents is that tooth decay is entirely preventable.
February will arrive soon after you get over New Year’s Day celebrations putting forward another tiny festival before you and your kid to celebrate National children’s dental health month for the next 28 days. Wouldn’t you want to participate in a celebration to support an initiative by the ADA, AAPD, and the CDC to benefit your child’s oral health? The festival will not cost money but will require you to participate with the Bolton Family Dentist to promote good oral health among children from infancy until adolescence.
Why Is Children’s Dental Health Important?
Tooth decay is the single most chronic infection among children, mentions the US Department of Health and human services oral health in the US. When left untreated, tooth decay is associated with eating, speaking, and academic problems. Therefore, parents’ primary concerns for their children replicate the results related to children’s poor oral health resulting in issues like inadequate nutrition, lost school time, depression, and impacted learning abilities.
Parents must learn it is easy to prevent tooth decay from developing in children’s mouths. In addition, parents must also make an effort to spread the word about children’s oral health because it is crucial for all children. Children from low-income households are often at a higher risk of the ramifications of poor oral health.
Buying Children a New Toothbrush
When celebrating national dental health month for children, parents must ensure they buy their kid a new toothbrush to start the celebration on a positive note, realizing that brushing and flossing are the cornerstones of maintaining good oral health. Besides the above, parents can use the following tips to ensure their child doesn’t become a victim of tooth decay and the associated problem accompanying it.
We suggest tips to help children benefit from the month-long celebration and save money by avoiding emergency dental visits that may become necessary if the child develops or reports dental issues needing immediate attention. In addition, the tips will help children to get a head start with proper dental hygiene.
Brushing twice daily and flossing once is a practice you must inculcate in your child to ensure they maintain excellent dental hygiene. However, you are responsible for checking the baby’s brushing technique and must supervise your child during their brushing and flossing until they are seven or eight to ensure children are adept with cleaning their teeth appropriately.
Brushing occurs in the morning and before bedtime, and flossing can occur at any time of the day or night. However, in between, children have a free hand to enjoy themselves on sugary foods and beverages without considering healthy snacks like cheese, yogurt, and fruits. As a parent, you are responsible for ensuring you avoid giving juices to children between meals and limiting juice consumption throughout the day to four or six ounces daily during mealtime and not on other occasions.
Children don’t have strong tooth enamel but receive help from fluoridated water that helps strengthen the enamel. If your community water is not fluoridated, you can ask your dentist about adding fluoride drops or tablets to drinking water to benefit your child.
Besides the above, you must schedule six-monthly dental visits for your child with children’s dentistry in Bolton for dental exams and cleanings. Your child’s dental visits help them benefit from better overall health. The pediatric dentist checks your child’s teeth and gums, besides developmental issues you might not have noticed.
Pediatric dental hygiene starts from the child’s first birthday. It ensures the practice remains with them for life but requires parental supervision until children develop motor skills essential for brushing and flossing appropriately and adhering to other requirements of maintaining excellent oral health. National children’s dental health month is a perfect opportunity to take your child to celebrate their dental health habits and complement them for having beautiful teeth without infections affecting them. Consider it a gift for your child and participate in the celebration with the family dentist in Bolton to benefit your child.
Many dental practices in the region are participating in National children’s dental health month, South Hill Dental, which promotes children’s dental health to help them prevent complications and pain in the mouth. Consult this practice today to register your participation in the event arriving just after the New Year’s celebrations.