What children do when they’re kids usually gets carried over to adulthood. These things become habits and once they’ve taken root, it’s very hard to break them. This is why it is imperative that children learn to take care of their teeth while they’re young. It establishes a habit or a routine of teeth caring that the kids are surely going to take with them to adulthood.
Establishing a dental health care routine will be challenging. What you teach them and repeatedly show them how to do will undoubtedly find its way to their adulthood. Furthermore, you will also need to lead by example by caring for your teeth at the same time. Sure, at first it may seem like a lot of trouble. However, eventually, you will realize how much grief you get to dodge with a properly established dental health care routine. The real challenge lies in helping your kids understand why it’s important to take care of their teeth early on. No matter how much you drill the routine, if they don’t know why you’re always going on about it, it would never take.
If you want your children to have strong, healthy teeth, make them learn to take care of their pearly whites early on in life. Moreover, explain to them the importance of caring for their teeth.
Healthy Teeth
There’s no argument—if you take proper care of your teeth, they’ll be healthy pearly whites. You will have no trouble eating with them, and you will probably save a lot of money going for treatments. Moreover, your healthy teeth will not hinder your speaking abilities. Not to mention how it can save you from a lot of grief related to painful cavities and bleeding gums. Bad breath can also be avoided by proper dental care. Healthy teeth also contribute a lot to your overall health. If you take care of them, you will lower the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, pregnancy issues, arthritis, etc., caused by oral health issues.
The latter claim is supported by countless studies which suggest that gum disease bacteria can travel to your heart and cause havoc there. Heart disease, along with clogged arteries or stroke may be just some of the worst-case scenarios you could encounter. Periodontitis, a more extreme and complicated form of gum disease, has been fingered as the cause of some cases of premature birth and low birth weight in pregnant women.
If you want your kids to avoid health problems and complications, as well as save money from all the costly dental treatments in their near future, help them establish a dental health care routine. Prevention, after all, is always better than cure.
Aside from overall physical health, healthy teeth also contribute to a confident smile, as well as mental well-being. Insecurities, as we know, have a way of deteriorating a person’s self-confidence and self-esteem. Cavities, bad breath, and gum disease are hardly boosters for self-love. Instead, they cause far more serious mental health problems like depression. The truth is that healthy teeth can enhance mental as well as overall health, while poor oral health exacerbates mental issues.
Yes, there is a cyclical relationship between dental health and mental health. In fact, evidence indicates that patients with dental health issues usually end up neglecting their emotional and mental health. With poor dental health, an individual’s self-image, self-esteem, and self-worth usually also go down. How? For one, poor dental health affects a person’s ability to speak. This can lead to social anxiety. After all, how confident will you be about speaking and socializing if you have teeth decay, gum problems, and bad breath?
Now, think of your children. Do you want them to suffer crippling social anxiety and depression due to bad teeth when you could have prevented it from happening? Or would you rather slave away at flossing and brushing your kid’s teeth now to establish the habit, instead of getting your child to see a shrink twice a week when he gets a little older? Choices, choices.
How to help kids develop a dental health care routine
Start at infancy. Take care of your kid’s teeth from the beginning to ensure that they understand and know, how necessary it is in their self-care. But how does one start at infancy? It’s simple. You can wipe your kid’s gums with gauze or a washcloth first. When the first baby teeth come out, start brushing them then. Use only the tiniest smear of toothpaste and make sure it is no bigger than a grain of rice. Dentist appointments are also as necessary. After all, only the doctor can correctly evaluate your child’s teeth, gums, and jaw to make sure they are developing properly. Furthermore, it will also help your child to get used to visiting the dentist regularly. This should help get rid of or prevent the development of dental anxiety.
As your child gets older, he has to start brushing his teeth himself. Sure, you still need to supervise the kid at this time to make sure he learns how to brush his teeth properly. Also, since children don’t have the manual dexterity to thoroughly brush their teeth until they’re six, you need to be present to assist them. In addition, make sure to remind him to brush all sides and areas of their teeth, including the sometimes-unreachable molars in the back. If you want your kid to be engaged, you may want to turn it into a game. If you make dental care fun, you may encounter less resistance as well as a more thorough teeth-brushing with no missed spots.
Lastly, you need to remember that dental health care involves more than just the brushing of teeth. It is crucial to help your kids establish and develop other healthy dental habits early on. You can start simple, perhaps by helping your child floss once a day as soon as they finally get their first two baby teeth, as well as by teaching them why it’s important to not eat a lot of candy or anything too sugary. These healthy dental lifestyle habits should help your kids maintain healthy teeth, healthy bodies, and healthy minds.