Summer Dental Tips to Help Your Child Maintain a Healthy Smile
Although kids get the summer off from school, they shouldn’t take a vacation from taking good care of their teeth! Parents and caregivers play a valuable role in helping a child maintain a healthy smile during the summer. Here are some tips!
Build Brushing & Flossing Into Their Schedule
A child’s schedule can change a lot during the summer amidst the camps, family trips, lounging, and so forth. Before your child’s day begins and before it ends, check in with them about their oral hygiene routine to make sure they’re still brushing their teeth twice a day for two minutes each time and flossing once a day. Keep in mind that your children under 6-7 years old will probably still need help brushing and flossing.
Provide Healthy Snacks
Your kids will probably be at home more during the summer so make sure you’re providing tooth-healthy food options for meals and snacks. Do your best to have lots of delicious fruits and vegetables on hand, like sliced strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, diced fruit cups in 100% juice, bananas, and hummus with carrot sticks, jicama, bell peppers, and celery. For healthier versions of frozen treats, buy popsicle molds and make frozen yogurt popsicles with ingredients like Greek yogurt, nut butter, bananas, and other fruit. Additionally, help your child eat meals and snacks at regular times instead of grazing all day. Constantly snacking or sipping on a sugary drink can increase their risk of cavities.
Schedule a Dental Visit Before School Starts
Like adults, kids should get a professional dental cleaning and checkup every six months. Is their next one due before the school year starts? Get it scheduled for a convenient time before school starts. Then it’s out of the way for when everyone gets busy with classes, homework, and extracurricular activities. Visiting the dentist before school starts also helps us catch and treat any other issues before your child’s schedule fills up.
Family Dentist in Austin, TX
At Westgate Family Dental, we love helping kids, teens, and adults maintain healthy smiles in the summer and all year round! We strive to make each patient feel as comfortable as possible during their visit with us. Whether you need a routine cleaning, a restorative procedure, a custom mouthguard for sports, or something else, please contact us today to schedule an appointment!
