Celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month

We are proud to have visited 6 schools this past month, sharing fun themed dental presentations to over 750 children! Each child also received a chart to track their brushing and flossing, a toothbrush, toothpaste and helpful hints for parents regarding oral health – and yes, with over 750 kids, that’s a lot of toothbrushes!

So as a parent, what can you do at home?

Early Childhood/Preschool

• Brush 2X a day for at least 2 minutes.
• Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
• Remember to floss every night. Individual flossers that are available in the dental aisle make it a little easier for parents and kids to give a try too!
• Schedule a check up by their 1 st birthday or within 6 months of their first tooth. 40% of 2-5 year olds have a cavity, so it is important not to delay.

Kindergarten/First Grade

• Continue to help children during teeth brushing and flossing, children’s fine motor/dexterity is still developing so it is important to help them during this time.
• Focus on cavity prevention and flossing techniques.
• Help them make wise food choices, learning between good snacks vs bad snacks – this is still the best way to prevent cavities while keeping your body and mouth healthy.

Second Grade

• Still following all of the key items listed from early childhood thru first grade, as kids become more independent, it is still important to remind them on proper brushing and flossing.
• Also important as kids select their own snacks at school, making sure to remind them to drink water through out the day to help rinse their teeth when a toothbrush isn’t available.
• During our presentation, we also helped prepare kids for the possibility of braces and how to navigate brushing and how to floss even with braces on.