Doing Our Bit For Child Oral Healthcare

Last week we shared an article from our friends at Dentistry on Facebook, claiming that a report by The Paediatric Oral Health Company has revealed Mother’s feel ‘confused’ over oral care for babies. Shocking right… But if parents, especially new born parents, are trying to juggle 100-and-1 things and resources and information surrounding care for their children’s teeth is not readily available, then there is a strong likelihood that this could be forgotten about. And not for one minute are we saying that new parents don’t consider their children’s oral health, far from it. More so as an industry perhaps it’s our responsibility to make children’s oral healthcare information, resources and education readily and easily accessible to parents, new and old. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to do just that. We’ve banged our heads together and put together five killer tips for improving your child’s oral health. Making these small changes to your child’s teeth cleaning regime will greatly reduce the likelihood of teeth treatments not only throughout their childhood, but also their teenage years, as well as later life.   1. Ditch the fruit juice and sweet drinks The high sugar content of fruit juice and sweet drinks significantly increase the changes of tooth decay. Don’t be fooled by the fruit juice that claim ‘no added sugar’ – even the natural sugars can cause decay! Water and/or milk is the healthy and our preferred options.   2. Start cleaning your baby’s teeth from day 1! By day 1 we don’t mean as soon as you leave the hospital.. day 1 means as soon as the teeth start to appear- this usually happens within six months. In the early days the teeth, and surrounding gums, are often very sensitive. We recommend using a wipe or soft cloth instead of a toothbrush. Removing excess food from the teeth and gums removes plaque – which overtime can turn into tooth decay.   3. Supervise As a general rule-of-thumb we recommend supervising your children cleaning their teeth until they are at least seven years old. Of course by 7 they would have moved onto a toothbrush! By supervising you can ensure your child is cleaning for the recommended 2:2 – two minutes, twice a day. By exposing and monitoring your child to a healthy oral regime from an early age, you almost engrain this positive habit into their day-to-day life – improving their chances of a treatment-free childhood!   4. Rewards (also referred to as bribery…)  Rewards are a great way to ensure you child maintains the 2:2 rule! Perhaps if your child actively takes it upon themselves to clean their teeth for two minutes, twice a day, you could reward them with an extra 15/30 minutes before they’re sent to bed on a Saturday night.. That’s just one example, we’re sure you can think of some more rewards!   5. Make it a play date! Because who said cleaning teeth has to be boring? A personal favourite is to match the beat of your child’s favourite song, with the rhythm of brushing.. Probably one of the more messier ideas.. but definitely one of the most fun!   The five points above is not an exhausted list by any means. More so a starting point. Feel free to add your own twist to your child’s healthcare regime.. all we really care about is the 2:2 rule. How you put that into practice with your child, well that’s up to you -but hopefully we’ve given you some thought starters at least! Aesthetika Dental are committed to making resources and education surrounding child’s oral health easily and readily available to all families. As such please feel free to share this article on your social media channels and help spread the importance of children maintaining a healthy oral care regime. Don’t forget to check out and ‘Like’ our Facebook page for more information and tips on caring for you and your family’s teeth. If you’d like to book a check-up for either you or a family member please use our handy online booking form here. Aesthetika Dental