Your child will become more and more independent once your child begins walking. It’s just normal for your toddlers and preschoolers to try and do some things on their own, and this is the best time for you as a parent to teach self-care skills during this stage of development.
Your child will best learn how to care for their oral health by watching you and older siblings. There are many reasons and benefits for you to establish good oral hygiene habits in your child at a young age. This will help your child to maintain a healthy, and strong set of teeth year after year.
Why Good Oral Hygiene Matters
According to dentist, this is a simple process of keeping your teeth and mouth in general clean as possible throughout the day. When you maintain a clean mouth, you will have lesser chances of dental diseases and tooth loss. Good dental hygiene also plays a huge role for aesthetic reasons as it keeps your teeth looking polished and white and also reduces the chance of experiencing bad breath.
Important Habits to Teach
• Dental Visits
One great way to start teaching your child about the importance of good oral hygiene is to compulsory dental visits for your child. When your child visits dentist on a regular basis starting from their young age, it will become a habit for them even when they reach adulthood.
• Make Brushing of Teeth A Habit
This is even more important, and you can help they make this a habit even before they have teeth. You can start by wiping their gums with soft foam, and once they start growing tooth you can start using a baby toothbrush to brush your child’s teeth, and this will allow your child to grow up with the familiarity of having their teeth brushed.
• Healthy Foods
Serving your children raw vegetables and fresh fruits will help them to grow to enjoy healthy foods. Also, teach them the act of brushing after evening meals and help them understand doing this.
• Teach By Example
Just like everything in life, children learn best by example and practicing good oral habits will send them the message of how important good oral hygiene is. It’s just a simple fact that your child will grow up understanding how important caring for their teeth and gums is when you put both your oral hygiene and your child’s at the top of your priority list.
• Flossing
Teaching your child to floss at a young age is important to their oral hygiene. If you are unsure of how to teach your child to floss properly, have your child’s dentist show them the proper way to floss.
Good oral hygiene habits are equally important and should be encouraged during the toddler years as well. Always be sure to brush behind your child until she is about nine.
