Here are ten lessons parents can teach on a daily basis to increase good oral hygiene practices for their children to combat gum disease, prevent cavities and teach them lessons to last a lifetime. These steps are
essential for good oral hygiene practices, for overall good health begins in the mouth.
Parents need to brush with preschoolers in the morning to help them learn this vital part of their normal daily routine. Even the infants and toddler children can partake as the parent gently massages their gums with a baby toothbrush. This way as the children grow it will be in this life long habit from an early age. Make sure your children brush each morning with toothpaste, which has fluoride. This helps to strengthen teeth and prevents cavities.
Just as we parents need to brush our teeth before we go to bed at night, we need to teach the children. Brushing at night helps to rid their mouth of the awful bacteria, which builds up during the day. It is a good idea to get rid of the little bits of food and sugary substances on the surface of teeth to ensure that cavities do not occur and it provides good oral hygiene practices.
Flossing on a daily basis is very important to reach into those places in your children's mouths, where a toothbrush cannot reach. There are many different types of dental floss on the market today even flavored ones that parents can purchase to use on their children.
Mouth rinse is a great way for parents to provide good oral hygiene practices on a daily basis. Using a mouth rinse that will temporarily color the teeth shows the kids where they have missed brushing. Then the children can re-brush to ensure they remove all the food particles.
Parents can purchase sugar free gum for their school age children to help promote good oral hygiene practices when they are at school. At school, the kids do not have the opportunity to brush their teeth so chewing on a piece of sugar free gum will help remove little pieces of food and sugar substances on the teeth.
Feeding your children a high fiber diet will also help promote good oral hygiene practices. The high fiber foods will increase the saliva in the mouth, which will have a rinsing effect on your children's teeth.
Natural fruit drinks, which are sugar free, are good ideas for healthy children and are so much better than soda or kool aid. Teaching your children by example to drink water promotes good oral hygiene practices for the both of you. Parents know that our children tend to imitate us, so why not show them by example the right way to take care of our teeth.
Do not show your children to use your teeth to rip open packages or bottles. That is bad manners and not good oral hygiene practices, as both activities will damage teeth.
When children use retainers, the child needs to remove it and clean it on a daily basis. Rinse off the retainer, brush the teeth, and rinse the mouth often. If the child uses braces, make sure they fit correctly as badly fitting ones will cause many more problems than a parent can imagine. hygiene practices are even more so important. Ill-fitting dentures can cause tears in the gums and allow bacteria to flow into the blood steam.
Parents should teach their children to limit sugary snacks always. If candy needs to be given purchase it in small amounts, and make sure it is sugar free. A healthier snack is always a better choice such as celery and plain peanut butter.
Resources:
American dental association
Colgate Good Oral Hygiene
Your dentistry guide on Hygiene
 
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