As a parent, it’s important to do everything you can to ensure your child’s dental health is top-notch. Part of doing so is from parents understanding how strong enamel can help. Strong enamel is crucial for protecting teeth from cavities and other dental problems. Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to help strengthen your child’s enamel. With the guidance of your pediatric dentist and these tips, you can ensure how to do just that. Check them out here!
The Importance of Proper Oral Care Routine
Encourage your child to brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride is a mineral that helps to strengthen tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay. Be sure to supervise your child’s tooth brushing until they can do it effectively. Also, help your child floss daily. Even as adults, it can seem difficult to keep to the habit. However, ensuring your child does is beneficial to their oral health in the long run. Why is that, exactly? Flossing is important for removing plaque and food particles that can get stuck between teeth, where a toothbrush can’t reach. It can help prevent cavities and gum disease.
Being Mindful of Their Diet
There is no denying how much children love sweets. Whether it be hard candies or mouth-watering chocolate, they love some type of sugary delight the most. However, something that tastes so good isn’t always the best for their oral health. It’s why it’s best to limit sugary snacks and drinks. Sugar is a major contributor to tooth decay, so restricting your child’s sugary foods and beverages is important. That includes soda, fruit juice, and sweetened sports drinks. Instead, encourage your child to eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Not only will it help their oral health, but it will also boost their overall well-being. In addition, try encouraging your child to chew sugar-free gum. Chewing gum can help stimulate saliva production, which can help neutralize the acid in the mouth that can lead to tooth decay. Thankfully, despite plenty of sugary gum, there are sugar-free alternatives you can find easily nowadays. Try to look for gum sweetened with xylitol, a natural sweetener that has been shown to help reduce the risk of cavities.
Fluoride Matters For Strong Enamel
Any pediatric dentist can tell you that fluoride is integral to oral care and recommend using fluoride dental products. What dental products contain fluoride? The most common example is toothpaste. However, you can find other dental products that can help strengthen tooth enamel. These include mouthwashes and rinses that contain fluoride. Your child’s pediatric dentist may also recommend fluoride treatments, which can be applied to the teeth as a gel, foam, or varnish whenever they have a dental appointment. Also, encourage your child to drink fluoridated water. Fluoridated water is defined as water that’s been treated with fluoride to help prevent tooth decay. It’s another easier measure to ensure enamel remains strong. Plus, having fluoride in water is rather common. Many communities have fluoridated water, but you can also find it in bottled water or a home filtration system.
Being Consistent with Dental Visits
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to take your child to the dentist regularly. Regular dental check-ups are important for maintaining good oral health. During these visits, your pediatric dentist can assess your child’s dental health, thoroughly clean, and apply fluoride treatments if necessary. Children may sometimes be fussy going to the dentist, but normalizing visits will help reduce it. Doing so ensures you can stay on top of preventative care and their overall health. After all, good oral health will help reduce other health problems like cardiovascular issues. It will help them keep up with good, lifelong dental care as they grow older with good habits formed too.
Following these tips can help strengthen your child’s enamel and protect their teeth from cavities and other dental problems. Remember to be patient and encouraging, as it can take time for your child to develop good oral hygiene habits. With a little effort, you can help ensure that your child has strong, healthy teeth for years to come!