Dakota Dental offers recommendations for creating healthy oral habits in children; starting these good habits and avoiding bad ones are key for a child’s oral health.

Apple Valley, MN, USA (August 31, 2015) — Dakota Dental, a Minneapolis family dentist, works with families to promote and establish good oral health habits in children. Nearly 19% of kids between the ages of two and nineteen have untreated cavities; developing healthy habits for caring for their teeth can go a long way to prevent this decay.

“Oral and dental health habits, both good and bad, are formed early,” explains Richard P. Dugas, DDS in an article from everydayhealth.com. To ensure children’s teeth get off to a healthy start, the family dentists at Dakota Dental recommend a variety of habits to build dental awareness and ways to avoid oral health problems.

A child’s baby teeth are at risk for decay as soon as they appear, which is usually when they are around six months old. For infants, dentists recommend brushing their teeth as soon as they get them. Brush teeth twice per day, making sure to use only a very small amount of toothpaste – roughly the size of a grain of rice.

As the child gets older, the amount of toothpaste can be increased to a pea-sized portion. Once a child can brush their teeth on their own, it’s important to teach them to not swallow toothpaste. Daily flossing is recommended once the child has two teeth that touch.

Making brushing and flossing a daily habit is vital for building healthy habits in children. However, it is also necessary for children to avoid falling into other, more detrimental habits. Make sure to limit a child’s use of a bottle or sippy cup – the sugars in milk and juice can eventually lead to tooth decay. “Constantly sipping milk, juice, or any sweetened liquid does not give a child’s natural saliva a chance to rinse away sugars that cause tooth decay,” Dugas says. A good idea would be to limit sugary juices and replace with water instead. Additionally, having a child rinse their mouths out with water after a sugary drink helps wash away the sugars that could eat away at their enamel.

Another way to make sure that kids maintain healthy teeth is by scheduling regular dental appointments – once every six months is a standard baseline. Dakota Dental offers pediatric dentistry as well as dentistry services for all ages. Talk with the family dentists at Dakota Dental for other recommendations for building healthy teeth habits in your kids by calling 952-431-5774.

Media Contact:
Dr. Shelley Wakefield
Dakota Dental
14682 Pennock Avenue
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952-431-5774
swakefield@dakotadental.com

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