Neglecting oral health in preschoolers can lead to tooth decay or dental caries. Find out how to take dental care of your preschooler. Tooth decay affects children in more ways than one. It commonly results in dental caries that is again perhaps the most common infectious disease in children. So when your kid turns to a preschooler, you need to take additional care and precautionary measures to ensure that the child is adequately protected from oral infections and also do not carry the germs that can potentially affect other kids in school. The kid not only suffers from mild to acute pain, but his other activities also get affected like, eating, speaking and thereby learning. Here are few simple but vital tips on how you can take care of the dental health of your preschooler. In this articleCheck DietDental HygieneUse FluorideLet Your Child Be ComfortableMake Your Child Sit on LapSet Teeth Brushing Time for Your ChildCheck Diet A nutritious diet has innumerable benefits. It also provides essential coverage to the kid protecting him from contacting the dental infection. A diet rich in essential vitamins, minerals and protein helps in building up a strong immunity that protects the child. Dental Hygiene Observing a strict and regular dental hygiene has no alternatives. It is absolutely necessary for the child to wash and rinse his mouth properly after each meal he takes. Apart from the habit of brushing twice a day, make sure that kid washes his mouth properly after each meal and snack. Sometimes, we tend to think that it is okay to let the child be, without rinsing his mouth after an afternoon or evening snack. This is wrong. This also calls for a proper eating habit. In between snacks at any time of the day is not healthy from the dental perspective, as well as from the dietary habit aspect. Use Fluoride If required, the doctor will suggest the child to get his teeth or affected tooth protected with fluoride. Follow the doctor’s advice as fluorides and dental sealants are very effective in preventing further tooth decay, if the preschooler is already affected by caries. Here are a few points on how to use fluoride – The toothpaste used by your preschooler must be fluoride enriched. Put a pea-size amount of toothpaste on his brush twice a day. Add fluoride to the drinking water. Seek the advice of the doctor on to go about it. Tips for Brushing Child’s Teeth Let us have a look at some tips for brushing a child’s teeth the right way. Let Your Child Be Comfortable Brush the child’s teeth on a comfortable position. This is important for effective brushing and also to avoid any discomfort that can in turn result in an irritation or a desire to avoid the activity of brushing. If required cradle the head of the kid in your hand or arm. Make Your Child Sit on Lap Best way to brush the child is to help him sit on your lap, or a chair, or beside the bathtub and positioning yourself behind the kid. This will give you a better view to the inside of the child’s mouth and you can navigate the brush with care. Set Teeth Brushing Time for Your Child Some preschoolers are found to take endless time in brushing their teeth. You can set a timer or play a song while you brush his teeth. This will give him an idea that it requires exactly two minutes or so for the activity. Finally, the most important method is to set an example. This is the best possible way to teach the preschooler dental hygiene and the methods of brushing. Let the child see you brushing your teeth in a routine manner and flossing your teeth. Kids of the preschooler age are more prone to learn through imitation. So if the kid sees you follow a dental routine, he will also be inclined to adhere to the same.
Neglecting oral health in preschoolers can lead to tooth decay or dental caries. Find out how to take dental care of your preschooler. Tooth decay affects children in more ways than one. It commonly results in dental caries that is again perhaps the most common infectious disease in children. So when your kid turns to a preschooler, you need to take additional care and precautionary measures to ensure that the child is adequately protected from oral infections and also do not carry the germs that can potentially affect other kids in school. The kid not only suffers from mild to acute pain, but his other activities also get affected like, eating, speaking and thereby learning. Here are few simple but vital tips on how you can take care of the dental health of your preschooler.
Check Diet
A nutritious diet has innumerable benefits. It also provides essential coverage to the kid protecting him from contacting the dental infection. A diet rich in essential vitamins, minerals and protein helps in building up a strong immunity that protects the child.
Dental Hygiene
Observing a strict and regular dental hygiene has no alternatives. It is absolutely necessary for the child to wash and rinse his mouth properly after each meal he takes. Apart from the habit of brushing twice a day, make sure that kid washes his mouth properly after each meal and snack. Sometimes, we tend to think that it is okay to let the child be, without rinsing his mouth after an afternoon or evening snack. This is wrong. This also calls for a proper eating habit. In between snacks at any time of the day is not healthy from the dental perspective, as well as from the dietary habit aspect.
Use Fluoride
If required, the doctor will suggest the child to get his teeth or affected tooth protected with fluoride. Follow the doctor’s advice as fluorides and dental sealants are very effective in preventing further tooth decay, if the preschooler is already affected by caries. Here are a few points on how to use fluoride –
- The toothpaste used by your preschooler must be fluoride enriched. Put a pea-size amount of toothpaste on his brush twice a day.
- Add fluoride to the drinking water. Seek the advice of the doctor on to go about it.
Tips for Brushing Child’s Teeth
Let us have a look at some tips for brushing a child’s teeth the right way.
Let Your Child Be Comfortable
Brush the child’s teeth on a comfortable position. This is important for effective brushing and also to avoid any discomfort that can in turn result in an irritation or a desire to avoid the activity of brushing. If required cradle the head of the kid in your hand or arm.
Make Your Child Sit on Lap
Best way to brush the child is to help him sit on your lap, or a chair, or beside the bathtub and positioning yourself behind the kid. This will give you a better view to the inside of the child’s mouth and you can navigate the brush with care.
Set Teeth Brushing Time for Your Child
Some preschoolers are found to take endless time in brushing their teeth. You can set a timer or play a song while you brush his teeth. This will give him an idea that it requires exactly two minutes or so for the activity.
Finally, the most important method is to set an example. This is the best possible way to teach the preschooler dental hygiene and the methods of brushing. Let the child see you brushing your teeth in a routine manner and flossing your teeth. Kids of the preschooler age are more prone to learn through imitation. So if the kid sees you follow a dental routine, he will also be inclined to adhere to the same.
