Why Your Child's Dental Hygiene Matters

As a parent, you are responsible for nearly every aspect of your child’s care, including their dental care. With so much on your plate, it can be easy to neglect teaching important oral care habits, especially since your child’s baby teeth will later be replaced. Despite the temporary nature of baby teeth, it is still critical to ensure that your child receives the appropriate dental care and develops good habits.

Learning Habits at a Young Age Leads to Success

Child development professionals largely agree that children learn things best when they are young. Developing good oral care habits is no different, and parents can do a lot to help their child build the foundations of a lifetime of healthy smiles. Brushing your child’s teeth with a child-safe fluoride toothpaste from the beginning can help them when it’s time for them to take over the task. It is also important to schedule regular cleanings with your dentist, and develop dietary habits that protect their teeth from sugar and acid.

Healthy Baby Teeth Mean Healthy Adult Teeth

In addition to building good habits to care for their adult teeth, teaching your child to care for their baby teeth can positively affect the health and growth of their adult teeth. Cavities can lead to infections, which can be dangerous for your child’s health. Infections can also affect the development of adult teeth, which means that adult teeth shouldn’t be seen as a “clean slate” when it comes to dental hygiene. Cavities and tooth damage can also be painful, which can affect your child’s ability to focus and may harm their ability to learn and succeed in school.

Dental Hygiene Is More Than Brushing and Flossing

Many parents may not realize how much their child’s diet affects the health of their teeth. You may be familiar with the importance of calcium-rich foods for healthy teeth, but it goes beyond that. Sugar and acids are extremely damaging to teeth, especially when allowed to sit on the teeth. Carbohydrates break down into sugar, which feeds acid-producing bacteria. Snacking on crackers, candy, juice, soda, dried fruit, or other sugary or carb-laden snacks throughout the day can cause tooth decay, especially if your child’s teeth are not cleaned immediately afterwards. Focus on proving healthy snacks, like fresh fruit, veggies, and cheese, and save carbohydrates for meal times, when you can easily follow up with brushing and flossing.

Learn How to Protect Your Child’s Teeth - (770) 467-3888

At Austell Dental Associates, we are committed to healthy, beautiful smiles for people of all ages. Our Austell dentists can help you learn how to care for your child’s teeth and encourage good oral care habits. We go above and beyond simple cleaning and we can provide preventative care to protect your child’s teeth, now and in the future.

Schedule an appointment with our team today. Contact our offices by calling (770) 467-3888.