Celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month so it’s a perfect time for the team at Twohig Dentistry to review some of the important steps in keeping your child’s smile happy and healthy. Caries, better known as cavities, is the most common disease for children. In the blog below we focus on child nutrition and tips and tricks to help create healthy habits for a lifetime. 

60% of kids have decay by the age of 5 so getting your child into a regular dental care routine is of paramount importance! We have some suggestions that will help. Lay your toddler-aged child down and brush their teeth.  Introduce an app called Chompers into your dental routine and demonstrate to your child while you brush your teeth. Use instructive and fun children’s books as well! 

Dental health looks slightly different at each stage of your child’s development. Children can start seeing a dentist as early as age 1 but all children should be seen by a dentist 6 months after their first tooth appears. For baby teeth, use a baby brush to clean the milk out of your baby’s mouth.  Toddlers should not use bottles or pacifiers and should refrain from putting fingers into their mouths. At this developmental stage, parents should brush their child’s teeth. They cannot do this on their own but know it's ok to let them participate. When your child grows out of the toddler stage start using a 2-minute timer when they brush their teeth. 

We know that children can be a little anxious about visiting the dentist. Children who visit the dentist at a young age will feel more comfortable for future visits.  Dr. Mary Rose Twohig believes in the Tell, Show, Do method to help the kids understand and feel comfortable.

If you have any questions or concerns or want to learn more, Dr. Twohig and the team at Twohig Dentistry are always happy to discuss them with you—any time of year! We can’t wait to see you and your family in our office again soon.