Dental care for children is incredibly essential than for adults. Your child’s dental hygiene and health can determine various factors about their dental health in the future, like gum health, teeth placement, and oral hygiene. Without appropriate care, a kid’s dental can cause issues for them in later life. The most crucial factor in determining dental health is establishing healthy habits early in life that the child will carry into adulthood.

When to Start Oral Hygiene Practices?

Starting oral hygiene for kids seems challenging for most parents as babies don’t have teeth during birth. However, a visit to the pediatric dentist near you in Tampa, FL, is essential soon after your kid is born. The pediatric dentist provides tips on keeping your child’s mouth healthy even before the eruption of the first tooth at around six months. Visits to the pediatric dentist should be no later than the child’s first birthday.

Merely visiting the dentist will not help unless you incorporate good oral hygiene habits into your kid’s daily dental routine. Here are seven that can help you give your child a beautiful smile throughout their lives.

1. Learning From the Pediatric Dentist

As an adult, you have all the information about brushing, flossing, and maintaining excellent dental hygiene. However, dental care for kids is different as children have unique requirements. During your visit to the pediatric dentist with your child, request tips for brushing your kid’s teeth because you will likely supervise them until age six or seven. The information from the dentist helps ensure you keep your kid’s dental hygiene in appropriate condition, ensuring they don’t develop any unnecessary problems early in life.

2. Set an Example

Children like to mimic their parents even though they may not realize why they are doing so. You can set an example by starting to practice excellent dental hygiene habits yourself. Your habits help to create a routine your child is unlikely to resist going ahead. Make a habit of brushing and flossing teeth a part of the everyday routine you do together.

3. An Early Start Is Always Helpful

You should begin caring for your child’s oral health even before their first tooth erupts. You can start by wiping their gums with a soft washcloth and warm water after feedings without using any toothpaste. You can take the child to the dental health practice for children soon after the first tooth erupts when the dentist advises you to concentrate on their oral hygiene. You can use baby toothbrushes specially designed for baby teeth and fit on top of your finger to clean your child’s teeth using a pea-sized dab of non-fluoridated toothpaste.

4. Use of Fluoride Toothpaste

You can use fluoride toothpaste for your child when there are around two years. Fluoride toothpaste helps prevent tooth decay and ensures the teeth are developing healthy as they should.

5. Let Children Brush Themselves under Supervision

When your child is around two years must let them take matters of brushing and flossing into their hands. Please don’t allow them to brush by themselves but keep a close watch on supervising them. If required, join them in the bathroom to combine your oral hygiene routine with your child. Children at age two believe they can brush their teeth themselves but do not have the manual dexterity to succeed. Children develop the strength needed for brushing around age 7. Therefore you must ensure your child receives the supervision they need to brush and floss their teeth under your vigilant eyes.

6. Regular Dental Visits Essential

You must schedule six-monthly appointments for dental exams and cleanings in Tampa, FL, to ensure your kid doesn’t have plaque buildup and tartar on their teeth. You may think it is too early for children to undergo six-monthly exams and things. However, the bacteria in your child’s mouth believe differently and continuously build up plaque which hardens into tartar, creating tooth decay and gum disease. Regular dental visits ensure your kid’s mouth is healthy and free from the familiar dental problems chronically affecting children throughout the world.

7. Keep Watch on the Kids Dietary Habits

A healthy diet is essential for everyone, and kids are not an exception. You can start by choosing healthier foods more often for yourself, setting your kids an example to follow. Pack their lunches with nutritious choices instead of processed foods. Limit their intake of sugary and starchy stuff by developing a habit of giving them fruits and vegetables, providing them the nutrients their mouth needs to fight infections. Even children water instead of sugary drinks because it helps limit the child’s sugar intake.

Dental care for kids must begin early and continue throughout their lives. You may not supervise them after a certain edge, but you must make the efforts necessary to ensure they develop an excellent dental hygiene routine until then.