Dental health is a very important aspect of your holistic health, with the importance of good dental habits starting in childhood. Not looking after your mouth can cause cavities, tooth loss and abscesses in the short run; and in the worst case, degenerative disease and life-threatening illness in the future.
However, it’s not that difficult to look after your teeth - in fact, it’s quite simple.
The tricky part for parents is trying to motivate their children into seeing dental hygiene as a good thing to do, rather than a chore. Over the course of this article, you’ll see some key ways to create a strong foundation for your family’s dental health, and clever tricks to help your kids see the right way about things.
The Foundations
Family dental health will consist, for most families, of two key aspects: at home hygiene, and regular dentist checkups. It’s important for everyone in the family to have full dental care services available to them. This is especially important as sometimes you can’t discern if damage is being done to your teeth - OK, you stay away from sugar and brush and floss regularly, but heartburn could be causing residual damage that only your dentist can tell you about.
At home, it’s key to brush, floss and minimize damaging foods. This can be a struggle to help children see the benefit of.
Emphasizing Brushing and Flossing
First off, the worst way to get your kids to keep their teeth clean is through scare tactics. Scary stories will come unstuck one day, and breed resentment or totally destroy the message you’re trying to get across. Similarly, anger is only likely to provoke a rebellious reaction. Instead, use constant positive encouragement; make the situation a fun one, perhaps with a favored stuffed animal or through dancing and sing-song. Psychologically turn brushing into a great fun situation.
Staying Away From Sugar and Snacks
The key here is to set an example. Don’t be reaching for Starbucks as your go-to coffee; you might be having it black, but your kids, wife, husband or partner might only see the sugar laden recipes and think you’re a fan of those. The same goes for snacks - make a conscious effort to show your family that you can enjoy sweet treats that are delicious and less likely to rot teeth, like low-in-acid fruit.
Dental hygiene is no joke and you owe it to yourself and your family to keep it all in order. It isn’t difficult, though, and all you need to do is calmly and positively show how habits can be built.
No comments:
Post a Comment