According to the American Dental Association (ADA), every child should: • Brush their teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months.
A major way to prevent tooth decay is to have good nutrition. Bacteria lives in your mouth and when sugar comes into contact with bacteria, it produces an acid. This acid attacks your teeth and leads to tooth decay. Many of the foods we eat have natural sugars, including milk and fruit. We still want to eat these foods because they have other nutrients that help keep our teeth and gums healthy. However, we do not need added sugar in our diets. The ADA recommends limiting your child’s between meal snacking. When your child does snack, it is important to choose low sugar foods and beverages.
• Clean between teeth daily with floss
or an inter-dental cleaner.
Children should visit the dentist about every 6 months to 1 year. How frequently depends on what the dentists discovers upon their evaluation of your child’s oral health.
If you have a particular health concern for your child, please call me at the school or come talk with me. My door is always open.
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
Fight Tooth Decay 24/7! How to Floss • Use about 18 inches of floss wound around one of your middle fingers, with the rest wound around the opposite middle finger.
• Hold the floss tightly between the thumbs and forefingers and gently insert it between the teeth.
• Curve the floss into a “C” shape against the side of the tooth.
• Rub the floss gently up and down, keeping it pressed against the tooth. Don’t jerk or snap the floss.
• Floss all your teeth. Don’t forget to floss behind your back teeth.