Can you imagine the trauma?
The needles, the noise, the scraping and pulling, not to mention the inability to move your mouth and subsequent pain, are all part of the guaranteed process for a tooth filling or a root canal. It’s no wonder that so many adults are scared to go to the Dentist! Now imagine a child, a two year old child at that? They would not be able to sit still! As a result, children must be placed on anesthesia which carries an added risk.
How can we prevent this from happening to our children?
According Dr. John E. Dodes, a New York based Dentist the below 4 steps will help you build good dental habits in your children.
- Visit the Dentist twice a year.
- If you go before problems arise, you can not only prevent them, you can get children accustomed to the dental office! This will help remove any fear they may have encountered at the Dentist.
- Brush, Floss and Rinse.
- This was one of my biggest obstacles when my children were younger. Make brushing, flossing and rinsing a routine by using fun products. My son uses the Phineas and Ferb Reach Total Care Multi-action toothbrush, Reach Total Care Floss and Phineas and Ferb Bubble Blast Listerine Smart Rinse Anticavity Fluoride Rinse. Since he’s a HUGE Phineas and Ferb fan, these products work for us. In fact, he constantly tells me “Ferb, I know what we‘re going to do today!” (Yes, I’m Ferb!)
- The World lsn’t Flat And Neither Is Your Child’s Mouth.
- If your child doesn’t like the toothbrush or the flavor of the toothpaste, floss or rinse, try another! Listerine makes flavors that children will like using. As I mentioned before, my son uses the Phineas and Ferb Bubble Blast Listerine Smart Rinse Anticavity Fluoride Rinse. They carry a few other flavors, including a Barbie Berry flavor that my cousin enjoys. Using a product they enjoy, has made a big difference in our dental routine.
- Technique Matters
- There is a right way to brush, floss and rinse (Yes, the order is important. ) and a wrong way. We were doing it the wrong way. *Hanging my head in shame* To download tips on dental care click here.
Let’s talk! How do you get your children to brush their teeth? Share your tips in a comment!
Disclosure: Latina On a Mission (“LOAM”) received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of its participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are ours. compensation
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That poor kid, makes you wonder what the heck was he being fed.
Que pena por ese niño, pero es una historia para uno aprender.
I can’t imagine a poor child having 11 cavities and one root canal. I started my children at a young age learning how important it is to brush their teeth. Their father has a lot of cavities, so I use him as an example. They always brush, floss and visit the dentist twice a year. They have healthy teeth and always take care of them.