February 20, 2020
Healthy teeth are an important part of a healthy body. Spending a few minutes each day taking care of your teeth keeps your smile beautiful and your body happy. Here are recommendations from our dental and pediatric team to keep you and your children’s dental health in check:
Keep Those Pearly Whites Shining Bright
- Clean teeth twice daily with a soft toothbrush
- Brush for two minutes each time (sing the ABCs in your head three times!)
- Start flossing once per day as soon as teeth begin to touch
- Parents should supervise brushing until kids are able to tie their shoes
A word about fluoride:
- Use fluoride-containing toothpaste for all children with teeth. For children less than three years, use an amount the size of a grain of rice. For children over three, use an amount the size of a pea!
- Most of the water in the Spokane area is non-fluoridated; consider a fluoride supplement. Ask your doctor!
- Have fluoride painted on your teeth as often as recommended by your dentist or doctor
Watch What You Eat – Your Teeth Are Counting On It!
- Frequent snacking and sugary beverages during the day may increase the risk of dental decay
- If you plan on snacking on a sugar-containing beverage (soda/juice/sports drink), drink it within a limited time instead of slowly sipping during the day
- Try to give your mouth a three-hour break between sugary foods/drinks
- After sugary foods and beverages, rinse your mouth with water or chewing sugarless gum
- Watch out for: hard candy, gummy candy/vitamins, cough drops, and fruit leathers
Did you know?
Children who visit the dentist before they are four years old are less likely to need dental procedures (crown placement, restorations, tooth removal) compared with children who start seeing the dentist at a later age.
| For the really young ones: The first tooth usually appears around six months of age. Think about scheduling the first dental visit when your child turns one. Start a training cup (sippy cup) at six months. Plan to ditch all bottles by one year. Factors that increase the risk of developing dental decay: Bottle use beyond 12 months of age using a sippy cup throughout the day (especially for juice/sugary drinks)Exposure to secondhand smoke using a bottle at bedtime breastfeeding past 12 months if nursing overnight |
