Building a lifelong relationship with our smiles starts early. Your child’s dental hygiene habits is the first step to lasting dental health.

Our smiles don’t exist in a vacuum. What happens to our teeth and gums, like cavities and gum disease, can affect our overall health. That’s why it’s essential to teach our children good dental hygiene habits from a young age. By learning how to take care of their oral health, they become better prepared to keep their smiles bright and beautiful for the rest of their lives.

Brushing and Flossing Baby teeth are especially prone to developing cavities. While adult teeth are strong enough to fight off dental decay, primary teeth are much weaker because they have thinner enamel. A tooth’s hard enamel surface acts as a protective barrier for the softer center. When decay breaks through, it can cause a painful toothache and cavity that won’t go away until the tooth dies. Proper dental hygiene habits at home is the best way to prevent this dental worst nightmare.

Until your child turns two, you’ll have to take care of their oral health yourself. Before any baby teeth come in, gently wipe down their gums with a clean cloth after meals. After their first tooth erupts at around six months, you should start brushing them twice a day with a soft baby toothbrush. Add daily flossing into their dental hygiene routine once teeth finally touch.

After their second birthday, start teaching your child how to brush and floss on their own. Until they are about 7 or 8, you should watch their technique and take over if they need any help. Proper dental hygiene means:

• Brushing for two minutes. Two minutes is just the right amount of time to give each tooth the personalized attention they deserve to be squeaky clean.
• Brushing in circles, not side to side. Circular motions allow a toothbrush’s bristles to reach the tooth beneath the gums. They also apply a gentle pressure to keep your child’s gums healthier.
• Flossing in a C motion. Adding a slight curve to your flossing lets your child clear anything trapped below the gum line.
• Using at least 18 inches of floss. While this might seem like too much, you want to make sure you have enough so that no part of the floss is used twice. Reusing floss isn’t just gross, but it can make your kid’s flossing less effective.

How Do You Know If Your Child’s Teeth Are Healthy? As you supervise your child’s brushing and flossing, you’ll also have the chance to check that their dental health is okay. These are some of the warning signs to look for.

Tooth decay symptoms: Chalky white or brown enamel spots Visible hole in their tooth Tooth sensitivity to hot or cold Pain when biting down Gingivitis symptoms: Red and tender gums Easily bleeding gums Their teeth look longer than normal Bad breath that won’t go away

If you suspect your child has cavities or gum disease, please schedule an appointment with their Bellflower kids dentist as soon as possible. While your child’s smile is still growing and developing, it is especially vulnerable to problems. If left untreated, these problems can have lasting effects on your kid’s oral health.

Fluoride While your child’s teeth are weaker than adult teeth, you can boost their smile’s defenses with fluoride. Fluoride is a natural mineral that keeps your teeth better protected against tooth decay by hardening enamel. Many cities and communities provide fluoridated tap water to their residents, making it easy for kids to keep their teeth healthier. For parents who prefer drinking filtered water, try using a water filter that isn’t a “reverse osmosis” one as it won’t remove fluoride.

However, if your water isn’t fluoridated, a baby toothpaste or mouth rinse with fluoride can make up the difference. Your child can start using a pea-sized amount of child-safe fluoride toothpaste around the time they start brushing on their own.

Healthy Eating Sugary foods may taste great—and they can be an effective way to reward our kids—but they’re terrible for our smiles. When we eat sugar (and other carbohydrates), bacteria in our mouths produce an acid that helps form dental plaque. The more sugar and carbohydrates we eat, the more plaque builds up on our enamel and starts going to town on our teeth. Sticky sweets like caramel and dried fruits are especially bad for your child’s teeth. These sugars stick to the surface and are much more challenging to wash away with water or saliva.

Here are some simple things you can do to limit the damage that sugar can cause to your child’s smile:

• Keep sodas and fruit juices to a minimum. Water is a much healthier alternative.
• Make sweets and desserts an occasional treat rather than an everyday snack.
• Try sticking to the five major food groups, which keep your child’s teeth and body healthier.
• Have them drink water frequently, especially after meals.
• Encourage your child to brush their teeth after eating sugary treats whenever possible.

In What Ways Do Eating Habits Affect Children’s Teeth? Your child’s oral health doesn’t just depend on what your child eats but how often. All of the good their healthy diet does for their smile can be ruined by snacking. Even the most nutritious foods create at least some amount of plaque. When you eat frequently, plaque and bacteria have more time to spend on your teeth. They build up quicker, speeding up the tooth decay process quite a bit. By sticking to a more regular diet of three meals a day, your child can better protect their tooth enamel and prevent toothaches.

However, we understand that sometimes a midday snack is necessary. Kids can start to flag or become grumpy without the energy boost of some crackers or apple slices. If they do have a snack, encourage them to drink water afterward. Water rinses away food particles, sugars, and bacteria on your enamel. It also has the added benefit of helping their mouth produce saliva. Saliva is a gross but necessary part of the dental hygiene process because it is our body’s natural way of breaking down foods and bacteria and fighting off decay and cavities.

Make Dental Hygiene Fun It can be hard getting your kid to do what they should sometimes, even if it’s good for them. They don’t want to eat all of the broccoli on their plates. They watch TV instead of practicing their piano scales. And they often want to skip out on their oral hygiene before school and bedtime. However, just as a fork airplane helps children eat their greens, so does making their oral hygiene routine fun. Here are a few examples you can put in place at home:

Let your child choose their toothbrush and toothpaste. These kid-friendly products are often designed with popular characters like the Avengers or Disney characters or come in tasty flavors. Some brushes even play songs to ensure kids always meet the two minutes required.

Join your children in their dental hygiene routine. We all know that children look up to their parents, but many of us underestimate how much our children take in just by watching us. Instead of just supervising your child’s brushing and flossing, why not make this an even for the whole family? Sing two-minute songs between each other, make funny faces in the mirror, and have quality family time together while keeping your smiles healthy.

Regular Dental Appointments It’s not uncommon to think that we don’t have to see our dentist more than once every year or two as long as our dental hygiene routine is in order. However, even the best brusher and flosser needs to come in every six months for a dental cleaning and exam. Plaque and bacteria still build up on your teeth over time. These twice-yearly appointments remove any cavity bugs stuck on your child’s teeth, preventing tooth decay and helping your gums stay disease-free.

Does My Child Need A Pediatric Dentist? Visiting the dentist office is about more than just getting a dental cleaning and exam twice a year, especially when you’re young and growing. General dentists focus on preventive care, but they also perform standard procedures like dental fillings, teeth whitening, and tooth extractions. However, they don’t have the unmatched experience of a pediatric dentist to ensure your kid’s smile is going well. Pediatric dentistry is the specialized study of children’s dental health and development, from when their first tooth emerges until they are an adult.

From crooked and crowded teeth to impacted wisdom teeth, you can trust a family dentist with your child’s smile in a way that general dentists can’t match. A kids dentist can answer questions like “Is early orthodontic treatment necessary?” and “Should I have my child’s tooth extracted?” If yes, you can expect them to keep your kids calm and comfortable with their kid-friendly personalities, manners, and gentle dental care.