Children & Tooth Care

Hi friends! My family knows that I'm a big fan of the dentist.  I've always had a mad fascination with teeth.  I get excited to visit the dentist and always have.  I'm weird, yes. ;)  Ever since I was a young girl, I had my own system of teeth care, with all my tools tucked into my medicine cabinet.  I would pull out the little bucket every night and floss, brush, and swish!

 Yes, this is me & my major CHEESE shot

When I first started blogging, I wrote a couple teeth love posts here: floss until they're squeaky clean and here: Back to Basics Brushing.  My family teases me for loving those shiny whites so much, but that's just me.  Sooo, I assumed when I had my own kids that they would adopt my concern for teeth and love to care for them too.  Ummm, I was so wrong.  We have battled with teaching our kids proper teeth hygiene and I'm open to ALL lovely tips you all have for me.  I have one child that prefers to chew on his brush, one who just likes to skip it all together, and another who goes through the motions ineffectively. Boys drive this girl crazy! The only time they PERFECTLY brush their teeth is when it's out of their mouth, when they've lost a tooth.  Because by tradition, they know that the tooth fairy only takes VERY clean teeth.  I've shared some magical tooth fairy traditions before too, here: Tooth Fairy Tiptoes!

When I heard from topdentists.com , I was all about partnering with them for a post on teeth care tips, since it it heavy on my "Mama mind".  This is a guest message about my passion with proper teeth care  brought to you by topdentists.com

Tooth care can be a surprisingly difficult process for a number of people, simply because it involves constant care and unwavering vigilance. Even taking a few nights off from your normal tooth care routines can set you on a path toward allowing unhealthy teeth, which is why even people who have formed good habits their whole lives sometimes struggle to maintain healthy teeth. This is one reason that it is essential to teach your children proper dental habits and tooth care methods early in life – and this all starts with getting them to the dentist. It may seem like a simple step, but this can actually be a difficult matter. 

Consider the following tips and information as you think about ways to introduce your children to good tooth care habits and practices:

To begin with, you will need to find a dentist for your child, and this is often easier said than done. You need to find a dentist in your area who works with children, appeals to you as a parent, and has a good track record. One great way to start going about this search is to look online at a site like topdentists.com, which has resources for locating dentists in different areas. If nothing else, this can give you a list of names near where you live, and from there you can begin to gather more information on your potential dentist for your children.

Next, you will want to take your child in to meet his or her dentist before it is actually time for his or her first appointment. It is extremely common for children to be anxious or even fearful of dentists, simply because they are unfamiliar with the concept of tooth care when they are still young. Much of this anxiety is also born of the basic discomfort around strangers that so many young children share. Thus, allowing your child to meet his or her dentist in advance can take away a lot of the anxiety that surrounds the first appointment, and can in turn lead to a smoother relationship with the dentist’s office.

Finally, do not be afraid to be repetitive or insistent with regard to reinforcing your children’s dental habits. You may feel like you’re nagging if every single night you remind your children to brush and floss – and, be warned, you will probably annoy them! But in the long run, you will be doing them a favor, as developing strong habits early makes it less likely to allow lapses in dental care later in life. 

Thank you topdentists.com for your wise advice!  And I fully agree with that last statement. We are giving our children a GREAT GIFT by teaching them proper teeth care.  Now, I'm off to Pinterest to find some adorably creative ways to encourage my BOYS to care for their shiny whites.

Remember, I want to hear YOUR tips too

...pretty please and thank you. 

*This post was brought to you by topdentists.com
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