Fact or Fiction: Learning About Your Family’s Smiles: Part Two

Posted April 28, 2016

All parents wants to help keep their kids healthy, including the precious smiles they have come to love. Unfortunately, not all parents understand what it really takes to maintain great oral health, either in their own adulthood or for their children. If you want to teach your kids how to have beautiful and healthy smiles as they grow up, you must first know what that requires, yourself. Your children’s pediatric dentist can help lead the way, educating you about all that can be done to ensure you and your entire family enjoy great oral health.

You should start taking your kids for dental checkups when they start school.

False. School-aged children do need dental checkups, of course, but so do those under the age of four or five. In fact, your child needs to have his or her first dental appointment around the time of his or her first birthday. From then, regular six-month dental checkups are important.

As long as they brush their teeth, your kids’ diet won’t affect their oral health.

False. Even if your children have excellent dental hygiene, if their diets are too high in sugar it will be very difficult to keep their smiles healthy. Likewise, a diet lacking in proper nutrition can lead to weakened teeth and unhealthy gums.

To help keep your kids’ smiles healthy, it’s important to encourage a well-balanced diet as well as dental hygiene. This should include lots of vegetables and fruits, lean protein and dairy products, which provide much-needed nutrients for healthy smiles.