February was Children's Dental Health Month, and it's a great reminder to make your kids' health a priority. But what about the rest of the year? It's all the days in between that add up to a cavity-free smile.

Working on great oral health doesn't have to be a full time job - for you, or for your little ones. Instead of constantly working to add in tooth-friendly practices, you can adjust your daily life to be constructive to your health and your strong teeth.

Wondering where to start? That's where Dr. Kim and our team come in. Read on for some tips on improving your home dental care, and get in touch if you have any questions. We are always here to help you and your family with your oral upkeep.

Getting Your Kids Into Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene is less than exciting to kids, but it's one of the most important parts of their daily lives. Our job is to help them understand why brushing and flossing are so necessary - which is harder than many of us expect.

If you talk to your kids like they're adults, you can help them comprehend the effects of sugar, poor cleaning, and missed dental exams - inspiring their own motivation to keep their health on the right track. Learn how to accomplish that, along with a few other kid-friendly tooth tasks, by checking out the list below.

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  • Oral hygiene chart - Get your kids into the competitive spirit! By putting up a brushing and flossing chart in the bathroom, you inspire them to mark off their daily cleaning and keep tabs on one another. You can also brush alongside them, which allows you to take note of their cleaning techniques. Offer up an oral hygiene guide and explain how it leads to more effective cavity prevention.

  • Tooth health activities - Illustrate the effects of plaque on enamel, and your kids will be happily heading for their toothbrushes twice a day. You can lead activities that illustrate how acids stain and erode tooth enamel, along with other dental games.

  • Incentives - You don't have to make any big promises, but offering a concrete reward for cavity-free teeth will help get your kids in a cleaning mood. Any special treat will help them look forward to keeping their teeth clean.
  • Looking toward the future - Children are most interested in the here and now, but that doesn't mean they can't dream about what might happen one day. If you teach your kids about how daily tooth cleaning leads to a future happy, healthy, and beautiful smile, they'll be better-motivated to care for their grins. Talk about avoiding the discomfort of fillings and other dental work, and explain how brushing and flossing stabilize enamel.

Eating Healthy at Home

You determine what your family eats on a daily basis. Make sure that you're choosing the right snacks, drinks, and meal staples. If you help encourage a taste for healthy food today, your kids will prefer nutritious, tooth-friendly options in the future.

Try to limit the number of sugar foods you bring into the home, and substitute nuts, cheese, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, dairy, and water instead. Check out our blog post on an ideal tooth-healthy diet for a master list of tooth-oriented dietary choices.

Your kids depend on you for so much, and we know that it can feel overwhelming when ensuring they're getting all that they need. By taking steps today to protect their future smiles, you give them the best possible chance of maintaining lifelong grins.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch!

Seattle General Dentist | General Dentistry Seattle | Children's Dentist Seattle
Dr. Kim Dr. Kim

Dr. Kim Okamura

I'm Dr. Kim Okamura and this blog is a product of my love of dentistry. I dedicate it to all the patients I have served so that they may better understand my craft. The information here will give you and others the power to maintain and protect one of your most priceless gifts ... your SMILE.