Happy National Children's Dental Health Month!

Did you know that your oral hygiene is connected to your overall health? Clean teeth and gums can help you and your kids stay healthy, but the opposite is also true. How many of us have had a tooth ache or a cavity before? Pain and discomfort can lessen our quality of life and so can other chronic diseases that can be caused by poor dental hygiene!

This month is National Children’s Dental Health month! Starting a good oral hygiene routine early in life is very critical to a child’s overall well-being. Along with regular visits to the dentist, it is recommended that kids brush for 2 minutes 2 times a day, avoid sugary treats and sticky candy and eat a well-balanced diet. This helps in maintaining a healthy, happy smile!

The American Dental Association’s 2016 campaign is called “Sugar Wars” and they have all sorts of fun activities sheets that you can do with your kids to help encourage healthy oral hygiene habits. These can be found on their website. They have a calendar to help keep track of how many times your kids brush their teeth, certificates, coloring sheets and different fun activity sheets that you can do together with your kids. This would make an excellent goal for the month of February and help establish a healthy goal for the rest of the year!

For more information about the National Children's Dental Health Campaign and to find the free activity sheets, visit the American Dental Association website.  

For great information about how to encourage healthy dental hygiene in kids, visit mouthhealthykids.org. 

What do you do in your family to encourage good oral hygiene?

Happy brushing...