February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
Here are 3 things to Watch out For When It Comes to Your Family’s Healthy Smile
Regular Dental Cleanings
One of the best things you can do for your child’s dental health is to get their teeth cleaned regularly! Cavities are most often formed in the first 10 years and children are at a high risk early on. When you take them in for their dental visits, the cleanings remove plaque, act to avoid cavities and your dentist is also able to identify any cavities that have already formed. Getting your child’s teeth cleaned regularly will help to keep their smile beautiful and healthy.
Avoid Sugar Whenever Possible
More and more, children are faced with a wide array of sugar-foods. Everything from fruit to processed convenience meals and snack foods. Not only are we consuming more sugar, we are also consuming less nutritious alternatives. When sugar is consumed regularly, the impact on teeth can be dramatic and detrimental. Sugar on your teeth will provide food for bacteria and they will in turn produce acid which can destroy the enamel on your family’s teeth.
Nutritional Health
Your child’s primary teeth are important for many reasons. A healthy and well balanced diet with a variety of foods from the five food groups has been shown to minimize (and avoid) cavities and other oral health problems. Keep your child’s teeth healthy with snacks such as vegetables, low-fat yogurt and cheese. Drinking plenty of water vs. sugary drinks is also a good strategy to ensure strong healthy teeth.
No Insurance? No Problem!
We have you covered with our In House dental plans. Give us a call to find out which one works best for you and your family.
Wondering How You Can Protect Your Teeth Year Round?
Don’t Miss Out On Regular Teeth Cleanings for Adults and Kids
In the first decade of their lives, your children’s bodies are growing and changing. Especially important during this time are regular dental checkups. Because it is easy for kids to get cavities during this time, it is a good idea to be bringing them into the dentist twice a year. This will help you and your dental provider monitor and track their growing and changing teeth. If a cavity starts to develop they can find it quickly and fix it before it turns into something worse.
In addition to keeping and eye on cavities your dentist will also give them an extra special cleaning. Because regular brushing, no matter how well you do it, isn’t enough to keep teeth as clean as they need to be for optimal oral health. Toothbrushes are great but they don’t always reach all the grooves in the teeth and fit all of the angles. Flossing will also help when you do it regularly but again is only going to catch so much of the residue that might build up.
Healthy teeth benefit you at any age. We all do our best to keep our teeth clean and eat a healthy diet but it is also a good idea to not only come in when you have a problem but also come in to avoid any problems.
We advise that you and your family visit the dentist twice a year for regular cleanings. This is a big reason why we offer two cleanings a year in our in house dental plan. We want to make sure that our plan covers you and your family’s dental needs for optimal oral health. Our plan also covers once a year exams and x-rays. No matter how old you are, you will benefit from staying consistent with your oral hygiene and office visits.
Safety First! Learn More About Mouth Guards
More and more we hear about sports and how they affect our children’s health. Most of this lately has been related to concussions but it is a good idea to also pay attention to mouth guards. Have you ever thought about how terrible your child would feel if they lost one or two of their front teeth? This can happen quite easily in many sports circumstances and each year thousands of kids and teens get hurt playing sports. Blows to the face in any sport can injure teeth, lips, cheeks and gums.
A mouth guard, when properly fitted, can be a critical piece of athletic gear that can protect your child’s teeth and their smile. You can also pick up a stock mouth guard, a mouth-formed one or a custom made mouth guard crafted by your dentist. All three will provide protection and will vary in cost and comfort. Here at Riverview Dental, we work with you to determine the best way to protect your child’s smile. Call us today at (208) 888-5544 and we can help you find you your best option.
Pay Attention To Your Smile Daily, Weekly and All Year Long
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month BUT Children’s dental health is important EVERY month of the year! Don’t miss any opportunity to learn more about what this means and what you can do to keep your and your families smiles looking good all year long.