Tips for Parents

Dental Tips for Parents…so that YOUR child can have a healthy and happy smile for life!

  • Diligent home care and a healthy diet goes a long way in order to ensure that your child develops cavity free teeth. Baby teeth are prone to cavities as well and need prompt treatment. Untreated cavities can lead to severe pain, infection and premature removal of teeth.
  • Baby Bottle decay:
    Do not put your young child to sleep with milk, formula or juice in the feeding bottle. Prolonged contact of sugar in milk and juice with teeth is known to cause rampant cavities. If you absolutely must, use plain tap water in the bottle instead.
  • Limit sweet snacks, cola, juices and candy. Increase whole foods, fruits and vegetables in their diet.
  • For children between 2-4 years of age, use a pea-sized amount of non-fluoride tooth paste and a soft toothbrush to brush their teeth two times daily for 2 minutes each. In our office, we provide colourful and fun sand timers to assist you time the duration. Use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste once your child is able to spit it out.
  • If unable to brush teeth at daycare, encourage your child to rinse his/her mouth and drink a glass of water after every snack or meal. The tap water not only dilutes the sugar content in the mouth but also is a natural source of fluoride.
  • Discuss with your Dentist, the placement of dental sealants on chewing surfaces of the permanent molars (usually at age 6 and 12 years) with grooves in order to reduce the risk of cavities.
  • Ask your Dentist about sports guard for your child in order to avoid traumatic injuries to teeth while playing contact sports, skating or rollerblading.
  • If a permanent tooth of your child falls out in an accident, store it in milk immediately (or room-temperature water if milk is unavailable) and go to your Dentist RIGHT AWAY. For any accidents or injuries related to the face, jaw or teeth, please contact your Dentist immediately.
  • Most importantly, have a positive attitude towards dental health. Be a role model and encourage good habits. Do not instil fear in your child’s mind by using words such as “pain”, “needle”, “hurt”. Make your child’s dental visits fun and rewarding – at Dentistry on 10, we are committed to making sure that every child has a positive and pleasant dental experience!