It is natural to want everyone in your family to have healthy, happy smiles. Keeping your teeth healthy can help you feel confident, and it can protect you against the frustrating issues linked to poor oral health. By encouraging your kids to take good care of their smiles, you can help them form good habits that they carry into adulthood. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office is proud to provide dental services to patients of all ages, which means we can take care of everyone in your family. It also means that we are well aware that kids and adults can benefit from different approaches when it comes to smile care. When it comes to helping everyone stay healthy between dental exams, being aware of those differences can help you provide proper support for everyone in your household!
Tips For Parents To Help Their Kids Maintain Healthy Teeth
Once your kids take on their own brushing and flossing, it is important for you to work with them and encourage them to develop effective oral health care routines. Remember that you are their role model, and the best model they have for what good habits look like. In order to show them what they should be doing, make brushing and flossing family activities. When providing instructions, make sure that you encourage them to be diligent, and to reach every area of their smile while they are taking care of themselves. When they brush on their own, setting a timer for two minutes can help them recognize how much time is “enough” when it comes to fully cleaning their teeth.
Avoid These Common Mistakes When It Comes To Oral Hygiene
Is your own oral care routine as effective as it could be? Asking this question after receiving a dental filling or dental crown can be smart, but if you want to stay safe, think critically about your habits even when you have not had recent troubles. Just as your kids need to develop a feel for thorough brushing, make sure you are dedicating the proper time to clean even those less accessible areas. Make sure you follow the instructions you give your kids and floss each day, too.
Not everything smile-related is about brushing and flossing. To make sure everyone in your family avoids cavities between dental checkups, be consistent about providing healthy meals and snacks, and watch out for how much sugar your kids (and you) tend to consume.
Good Cavity Prevention Can Also Help You Protect Your Gums
If you want to maintain your oral health, make an effort to take care of your gums as well as your teeth. You can do this when you brush and floss by cleaning thoroughly at your gum line. When showing off brushing and flossing to your kids, show them how you are paying attention to these areas.
Our Dental Practice Helps Ankeny, IA Families Protect Their Teeth
Our Ankney, IA dentist’s office is proud to help families take great care of their teeth. To find out how we can help everyone in your home protect their smiles, call Dental Impressions at (515) 965-0230.
