A pediatric dentist once said that the proper oral health of a child always starts at home. True enough, based on our personal experiences, what a child eats, how we encourage them to brush, and how we practice brushing as well, will play significant roles in the development of a child’s dental care routine.

You might find that a 3 year old child that has a very good set of teeth. An interview with the parents would likely reveal that right at the very moment the child’s teeth started to grow; they have been continuously practicing proper dental care. They would do the brushing by themselves and take regular visits to a pediatric dentist. As he grew older, he was slowly introduced to brushing, at 2 years old; he already knows the basics of brushing with the parent’s help. Candies and other sweet and sticky foods are minimized in order to prevent tooth decay. The child was also likely introduced to eating vegetables early and this further develops good oral health.

A different 4 year old, on the other hand, is already suffering from toothaches at her very young age. She did not have a good dental hygiene practice. Her parents said that they were just brushing her teeth three times a day, but did not take other precautionary measures, like dental visits and proper diet at all. Suzette also liked to eat candies and sweets a lot and consumes them every day.

In both cases, a pediatric dentist sees the apparent role of parents in their child’s overall dental care. What they do matters in the long run, and taking preventive steps early, might save a lot of money and your child’s tooth in the long run.

Here are some important guidelines on what are the basics of proper dental care for our children:

Good Brushing Habits

At an early age, it is quite common for kids to hate brushing their teeth. This is where proper conditioning of their minds towards brushing in general is very important. Parents can do this by telling stories of children with good teeth because they brush a lot, or you can even use the cartoon characters that they like.

Proper Nutrition and Good Eating Habits

As much as possible minimize consumption of candies and other sweet stuff. Although this is easier said than done, Simple alternatives to sweets could be given to the child to curb that sweets addiction. Fruits and vegetables will play a good role on cleaning the teeth so parents must try incorporating this in every meal.