As you should know, properly taking care of our teeth should be a priority. Not only do our chompers help us to eat and maintain a healthy diet, a study from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry shows that a great smile is also essential to finding romantic and professional success. Of course, for parents, like you, good dental health is as much about avoiding costly trips to your family dental care professional as it is about health.
Consider, according to CostHelper.com, the average cavity will run your family anywhere from $34 to $4,500, depending on your insurance coverage. That’s assuming you only have one cavity to take care of. As many parents have had to find out the hard way, poor dental hygiene in children adds up fast, leading to costly cosmetic dentistry procedures that likely could have been avoided. With these three tips for improving your children’s dental health, you can do exactly that.
Three Tips for Keeping Your Children’s Teeth Whiter and Healthier
- Start Visiting Family Dentists Early
- Be a Good Teacher
- Help Your Children Avoid the Fear of the Dentist
For Oral-B, the best thing you can do to promote dental health among your children is to start taking them to see family dentists when they’re young. How young? Typically children over the age of 14 months will be seen by most dentists without a problem; however, some will begin preventive care as young as four months.
As WebMD writes, our children watch everything we do very carefully, absorbing our actions, our words into themselves. That’s why so many of us are often terribly surprised when our children begin rattling off curse words like a pro. The same holds true with our dental habits. Show your children that you brush two or three times a day, for two minutes at a time, and they’ll want to do it, too. After all, what kid doesn’t want to be just like mom and dad?
Just as children can pick up on your good (or bad) dental habits, they will also pick up on your feelings about visiting family dentists, as Parents points out. It is not uncommon for children to be afraid of family and cosmetic dentistry, but it is uncommon for parents to know what to do to help their children over their fears. Demands and threats of grounding won’t help. Instead, try taking a positive approach to visiting the dentist. Tell your children about the benefits of clean teeth and having a beautiful smile. You might be surprised by how responsive they are.
What other tips do you use to help stave off expensive trips to see family dentists? Let us know in the comments below! Visit here for more.