It’s a New Year and a great time to make a change for the better. Many of us are sorting through a list of New Year’s Resolutions and trying to decide how we can make it all happen. How about prioritizing a resolution to improve your child’s oral health? 2025 is a great year to take a step towards a lifetime of great oral health for your child. Here’s a list of ideas to help inspire you.
•Set aside time before bedtime for parent-led tooth-brushing. Kids are great at a lot of things, but excellent tooth-brushing is pretty rare. Kids who brush their own teeth frequently miss areas like the back teeth and the gum-area of the front teeth. This can lead to cavities in the grooves of the back molars and white soft-spots progressing to tooth-decay on the front teeth. Parents, grandparents and caregivers can target these areas when brushing and help reduce the risk of cavities.
•Find a toothpaste that works for your child. Some children have taste aversions and may need to try different types of toothpaste before they find one they like. There are different levels of “sudsers” in toothpastes. “Sudsers” cause the toothpaste to bubble and foam up. Some kids find toothpastes that have a higher level of “sudsers” too bubbly and difficult to tolerate. There can also be issues with flavorings like cinnamon and mint that kids can perceive as “spicy” or “hot.” You can discuss the need for a fluoride toothpaste versus a “training” or no-fluoride toothpaste with your child’s dentist or hygienist to make sure you make the right choice based upon your child’s risk of dental decay.
•Be creative when it comes to where to brush. Some days it can feel like Wrestle-Mania IV in my house when it comes to the bedtime brush-up routine for my children. If the children are drawing up their battle plan as I approach with the toothbrushes, I change my strategy. I might opt to brush one of them on the couch, one in the kitchen and one while they are reading a bedtime story. My advice is to be flexible and have the end-goal of “brushing will happen.” Try putting a towel down on the couch or the floor and having the child lay down while you lift up the lip and brush the teeth. You can use your finger to pull back the cheeks, so that you can brush the sides of the back teeth as well. If your child tends to bite down and clamp their mouth shut, there are adaptive aides you can try like a soft-foam mouth rest made by the company Specialized Care. If you can safely get your finger or thumb to the back of the mouth where there is a gum pad instead of teeth, you can also use that to help prop the mouth open while you brush.
•Consider using a Fluoride Rinse if your child is old enough to spit. Fluoride rinses help protect teeth against cavities. The fluoride ion in the rinse attaches to the tooth enamel and actually makes it stronger than it would be on its own. The fluoride rinses help prevent cavities and reduce your child’s risk of dental disease.
•Identify sticky, sugary snacks and try to limit them. Fruit snacks, figs, and even gummy vitamins can have high amounts of sugar. It can be difficult to brush very sticky foods out of the grooves in the teeth. When you combine that with high “substantivity,” the ability of sticky foods to stay around a while in the grooves of the teeth, you have a recipe for cavities.
•Find a dentist you are comfortable with for your children. Many dentists will allow parents to stay with their children during dental treatment. This gives parents the chance to learn about their child’s teeth, ask questions, and understand more about dental treatments. There are many different treatment options and it can be very helpful for parents to see how their child does during the appointment. Then parents will be able to make a more informed decision regarding future dental treatment.
I hope this list of ideas helps parents, grandparents and caregivers. We all want a healthy and happy 2025 for the kids in our lives. Sometimes, all it takes is just a few extra steps to help ensure kids have the best chance at excellent oral health.
-by Dr. Mandy Ashley
About Our Dentists: Dr. Mandy Ashley and Dr. Madison Galloway are Board Certified Pediatric Dentists proud to serve the communities of Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, and Glasgow! We look forward to sharing our vision of excellent comprehensive dental care that is fun for children and people with special healthcare needs with your family.
SKY Pediatric Dentistry has been providing dental care to children and adults with special needs since 2013. As board-certified specialists in dentistry for children, our team strives to make going to the dentist as fun as possible while maintaining high-quality treatment and preventative measures. We tailor treatment plans to each child and offer a wide range of treatment options, including sedation, in-office general anesthesia, and also hospital-based dentistry. With over 25 YEARS of doctor experience, SKY Pediatric Dentistry is a great choice for children’s dental care in Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, and Glasgow!
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