The beginning of the school year is an exciting time full of giggles and smiles. A new year comes with many changes, making it the perfect time to start implementing some tooth-healthy habits in your household. Follow these simple tips to help your child smile confidently all year long.

Back-to-School Cleaning

Preventive dental care is the key to setting your child up for a lifetime of healthy smiles. Back-to-school time is a great time to get a professional dental cleaning. Your child’s hygienist can remove tartar and stains that their toothbrush can’t. When tartar sits on the teeth for an extended period, it can lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, and cavities. Preventive appointments are a great time for your child’s dental provider to reinforce oral hygiene habits and improve brushing and floss techniques. Starting the year with a clean smile will help your child smile confidently on their first day back.

Lock Down a Thorough Hygiene Routine

A new school year introduces new teachers, friends, and routines into children’s lives. During this time of transition, it is easy to start incorporating some new habits into your family’s daily routines, including your child’s daily oral hygiene ritual. Whether you are trying to encourage your child to floss more or brush for a full two minutes, we have some tips to help make that happen.

Tips to Improve Daily Oral Routine

• Play a 2-minute song while brushing
• Use flossers if flossing is challenging for your child
• Try out an electric toothbrush to remove plaque more efficiently
• Track their progress by putting a sticker on the calendar every time they successfully complete their routine

Pack an Emergency Kit

We are all familiar with the embarrassing moment of looking in the mirror and realizing you still have some of your lunch hanging out in your teeth. This situation is trickier to navigate when you don’t have the right tools on hand. Packing some dental floss, a small toothbrush, and a travel-sized mouthwash and toothpaste in your kid’s school bag can help them clean up their mouth after a meal if needed.

Pick Tooth-Healthy Snacks  

Sugar-heavy foods have earned a poor reputation for causing cavities, but it isn’t often you hear about foods that are beneficial to your smile. Dairy products are high in calcium and protein, which strengthens the teeth. Crunchy vegetables can clean the teeth since they scrape away leftover food particles and bacteria from the teeth. Of course, foods like chips, pretzels, and citrus fruits are okay for teeth in moderation; swapping out these popular lunchbox items with some of the alternative snack choices below can help promote a healthy smile.

 Tooth-Healthy Snack Options: 

• Crunchy Fruits & Vegetables
• Unsalted Nuts
• Raisins
• Milk, Cheese & Yogurt
• Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Leafy Greens

Use a Mouthguard

Over five million teeth are knocked out annually in the US; a significant portion is due to sports-related injuries. One of the most effective ways to prevent premature tooth loss in children is simply using a mouthguard.

Various contact sports, such as football, hockey, and wrestling, require participants to wear mouthguards. However, children can easily knock their teeth out during basketball, soccer, baseball, and other sports that do not traditionally require mouthguards. A mouthguard gives your children extra protection while on the field to ensure all their teeth stay intact. Children with braces should especially wear a mouthguard during contact sports to protect their cheeks and lips from the brackets and wires on impact.

Boil and bite mouthguards are a popular form of oral protection in sports. While these mouthguards provide some protection, they are not the ideal choice. Custom-made athletic mouthguards from your child’s dental office are great at protecting little smiles. With a comfortable fit and optimal protection, custom mouthguards are an optimal defensive measure against accidents in recreational activities.

Set Up Little Smiles for Success!

Commit to oral health this school year, and you will see your child smile brighter than ever before. Remember to always reinforce the basics: brush for 2 minutes twice a day and floss daily.