Keeping your children’s teeth healthy involves making sure they brush and floss regularly, visit the dentist, and get enough fluoride.
Our teeth help us eat, talk, and smile. From before your first birthday, good oral hygiene matters. Without proper dental habits early in life, your child could face short and long-term consequences, including pain, infections, cavities, and gum disease. Luckily, there are several ways to keep your children’s teeth healthy.
Learn more about the importance of good oral hygiene and the steps you can take to keep your children’s teeth clean and healthy.
Why Oral Hygiene Matters
Oral diseases can range from cavities and gum disease to oral cancer and tooth loss. Cavities, also known as caries or tooth decay, are the most common chronic disease in children in the United States. When left untreated, they can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Poor oral health can also worsen certain chronic diseases such as diabetes. The good news is that oral diseases are largely preventable.
What Steps Can You Take to Promote Good Oral Hygiene?
Keeping your children’s
teeth healthy involves making sure they brush and floss regularly, visit the dentist, and get enough fluoride. Check out these steps you can take, starting at a very young age:
- Use fluoride. Fluoride is a mineral that strengthens tooth enamel and can help prevent tooth decay. Children living in communities with fluoridated tap water and who brush daily with fluoride toothpaste have fewer cavities than children who don’t. To get your kids the fluoride they need, consume fluoridated tap water, use fluoride toothpaste, and get a fluoride varnish from your dentist or primary care provider every six months for all children starting at the age of primary tooth eruption and every three months for children at high risk for cavities. If you don’t have fluoride in your water (if you’re on a well, for example), talk to your dentist about a fluoride supplement.
- Ask about dental sealants. Dental sealants can also prevent cavities for many years and can be applied to children’s teeth as a protective coating.
- Brush twice a day. Cleaning your children’s teeth, even in infancy, helps to prevent the buildup of plaque, which is a clear, sticky material made up of bacteria that can lead to cavities and gum disease.
- For babies, wipe gums with a soft, clean cloth in the morning after the first feeding and right before bed to wipe away sugars and bacteria that can cause cavities. When teeth start to come in, begin brushing twice a day with a soft toothbrush and a smear or grain-of-rice-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. For children, brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Help them brush their teeth until they have established good brushing skills (usually around 10 years old). After the child’s third birthday a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste can be used.
- Children who are 10 years and older should brush on their own for two minutes twice daily.
- Floss daily. When children’s teeth start touching, you can begin flossing their teeth to remove bacteria that brushing alone cannot reach.
- Visit the dentist regularly.
Experts recommend scheduling your child’s first dentist appointment by their first birthday. As your kids get older, they should visit the dentist on a regular schedule, usually one to four times a year. The relationship you build with your dentist goes beyond regular cleanings. You should feel comfortable calling the dentist if your child has tooth or gum pain, a broken tooth, dark or light spots on their teeth, or if a tooth falls out from an injury or fall. - Limit high sugar consumption. High sugar intake is a risk factor in the development of cavities, especially sugars consumed at high frequency that remain in the mouth for long periods of time, such as a continual bottle or sippy cup filled with juice, or frequent sugary snacks like fruit snacks or gummy candies. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should not give juice to babies younger than 12 months old. For children 1 to 3 years of age, limit juice to 4 ounces daily, and for children 4 to 6 years of age, limit to 4 to 6 ounces daily. If you decide to give juice after that, always use 100% fruit juice, serve it in a cup, and give it at mealtimes only. In older kids, limit sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, juice, and sports drinks.
- Create routines that promote oral health. Good oral health should be built into your child’s daily routine. Each morning and each evening, your child should make brushing and flossing part of their routine. If your child is resistant, make things fun. Try brushing your teeth along with your child and singing songs or playing brushing games.
- Avoid smoking around your children. Multiple systematic reviews have found a significant association between secondhand smoke exposure and dental cavities in children, with exposed children having approximately 1.5 to 2 times the risk of developing cavities.
- Model and maintain good oral hygiene. Your kids learn best by watching you. Make sure you are brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly to encourage your kids to do the same.
Resources
- TRICARE – Dental coverage is separate from TRICARE’s medical coverage. The TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) provides dental care to eligible military families worldwide, including family members and dependents of active duty military personnel, as well as National Guard and Reserve members and their families. TDP is managed by United Concordia. You can learn more about how to enroll, what services are covered, and more through their website. In addition, you can use their wellness resources to learn more about oral health, including dental care for children and a children’s dental health timeline for additional tips on caring for your children’s teeth from infancy through the teenage years.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – The VA Dental Insurance Program (VADIP) offers discounted private dental insurance for Veterans and family members who meet certain eligibility requirements. VADIP plans cover many common dental procedures, like diagnostic services, preventive care, root canals, emergency dental care, and more. Use VADIP’s site to find out if you’re eligible, learn how to enroll, and find a plan to meet your needs.
The steps you take now can help your children’s teeth remain healthy and their smiles bright through childhood and beyond!