A habit is a practice or a routine that is repeated regularly. Most have heard the old adage that, “bad habits are hard to break.” Actually, that is true for good habits too. We may also have heard that we are “creatures of habit.” These words have a lot of wisdom. We can create and instill good habits for our children just by doing them over and over. This can help make for easier morning and bedtime routines. Children like to know what to expect and what is coming next. Good habits must include our children’s oral health habits and parents are the most influential people to instill and nurture these healthy habits. The best way to encourage your child to have a good, oral health routine is to establish it early, make it an immediate and consistent part of their lives, and to model the behaviors as parents.
Start by brushing their teeth each morning. After breakfast is usually a good time. We recommend that you wait about 30 minutes. However, you need to establish the routine that works best for your household. When they are young, you will need to do it for them to be sure that they are getting the job done right. Even infants with their first tooth need to be brushed or cleaned gently with a clean cloth. A general frame of reference is that by the time your child is able to tie his or her own shoe, they should be able to brush themselves. However, they should still be checked for brushing quality until you establish a streak of excellent reports from our dentists/hygienists at their regular check ups.
Before bedtime brushing allows children to achieve their minimum second brushing of the day. Though, we feel that brushing when kids return home from school is also quite a good idea. The evening is also a good time to floss your child’s teeth because we tend to be less rushed in the evening. We also recommend a dental rinse, preferably with fluoride to help strengthen enamel. Our pediatric dentists are happy to talk with you about the best rinses available for your child.
Nighttime is also a good time to use your electric toothbrush if your child is old enough and encourage a full two minutes of brushing and a small sand timer is great for this because most kids tend to brush far less than two minutes when they brush on their own. The nighttime routine is critical to oral health because our mouths tend to dry out at night, making the environment favorable to the bacteria that are harmful to our oral health. Keeping them in check before this 7-10 hour period of sleep is crucial.
We strongly encourage the early establishment of these healthy and simple routines. The clichés written in the first paragraph are so true when it comes to habits and we want to help and support you to find healthy habits that are hard to break!
About Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan, the offices of Drs. Delaney, Plunkett, Ralstrom, Makowski, Thanasas, Ker, and Associates
Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan have specialized in pediatric dentistry and orthodontics since 1968. Our family-friendly office gives patients and families a more comfortable and consistent experience with dentistry from the very beginning. The pediatric dentists treat children from newborn to 18 years of age while our orthodontists provide care for both children and adults, including being an Invisalign preferred provider. The ability to treat all special needs patients reaches beyond our facility, which has treatment rooms available for children who require additional privacy. Valued hospital affiliations allow dental services to be performed at DMC Children’s Hospital and St. John’s Hospital Macomb when needed. Our specialists are also on staff at Henry Ford and Beaumont hospitals.
