Tooth decay is a very serious problem. It starts when people are kids and can continue to get worse and worse until a dentist has to refer their patient for false teeth. There are various option; dentures, bridges, veneers, etc. Even so, it is so much better just to be able to keep your original teeth. If you have children then you should begin to teach them about oral hygiene as soon as possible in order to avoid tooth decay as well as other problems. Here are a few things that every pediatric dentist wish their patients’ parents knew.

You should start when they are babies.
You can even start before they have teeth. Wiping the milk from their gums will help to keep their gums healthy. While this is not a huge deal, it’s still helpful. It will also put you in the habit of taking care of your child’s mouth before he or she is able to do it. Another thing that you can start when you have a baby is taking care of your own teeth. If your kid does not see you brushing and flossing your own teeth and going to the dentist, they will wonder why on earth they have to. They won’t see the importance of it.

You can make oral care a fun game.
Make it a competition or use apps on your phone that will help the child to have a good time while they are brushing and flossing their teeth. Making oral hygiene something to look forward to, not to dread. It might be a hassle trying to get them to brush and floss properly but if you make it fun, then it can actually be a bonding experience for the both of you. They’ll remember how you taught them and will pass it on to their children, making it sort of a tradition that you start with them so long ago.

Your kids need to see a childrens dentist twice a year.
Starting at your child’s first birthday, you need to take them to the dentist at least two times a year. Every six months your entire family should be seeing a dentist in fact. This bi-annual thing should never stop. The easiest way to follow that schedule is to book your next appointment when you are there for your first one and then they will call you a week before your appointment six months later to confirm. Don’t cancel.

They need to be taught to brush and floss.
This is not something that comes naturally. Just as they don’t know how to put on their own clothes and properly wash themselves, children don’t know how to brush and floss. Typically, kids just want to suck on the toothbrush and eat the toothpaste. This is not enough. You have to teach them what to do so that they take care of their teeth properly as they get older.

Stop with the sugary treats.
Your diet plays such a huge part in the health of your teeth. If you are in the habit of giving your kids sugary foods like candy, desserts and soda then you should keep that to a minimum. Not only will that mess up their teeth but it will cause them to lose the taste for healthy foods by destroying their taste buds. They will begin to crave sugary foods which will destroy their teeth and cause them to struggle with maintaining a healthy weight for the rest of their lives.

If every parents taught their children the above five suggestions, tooth decay problems would take a major dip. There would be a lot less people walking around with fake teeth in a few years. Gum disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, bad breath, etc are all things that we have given ourselves, barring a medical condition. If you can do something to spare your children from having to go through something like this then why not? You’ll save them not only from fake teeth and the problems that go with it but also wasted money getting their mouth fixed, embarrassment from having fake teeth so early and wasted time when they are getting it done.