February is more than just the month of love, it is the month to celebrate children’s dental health. National Children’s Dental Health Month is dedicated to educating and promoting the benefits of good oral health to children and their parents. It was created by the American Dental Association officially in 1941 as a single day observance in Cleveland, Ohio and has since grown into a nationwide month long program. Support dentists and children across the country by educating your own children on dental health and why it is so important. Our future leaders’ mouths are depending on you!
Dental health is such a crucial part of a person’s life that the more education and awareness that can be raised at a young age, the better. Here are some of the wonderful benefits of National Children’s Dental Health Month that we hope encourage every parent and child to recognize the power of dental health.
Develop Good Habits
Good habits are so much easier to form as children than as adults. For some people, it is just instinct to reach for the seat belt when they get into a car or to put the napkin in their lap when they sit down to the table. Habits such as brushing and flossing every night before bed can and should be supported in a child’s routine at a young age so that it becomes an instinct. Research shows that on average, it takes a minimum of two months to form a habit. Looking at the big picture, spending about two months on educating your child about the importance of regularly brushing and flossing is not a very long time considering that they will need to take care of their teeth for their entire lives.
Schedule Regular Dental Visits
Dental visits should occur every 6 months. Those visits are similar to having your car’s oil changed regularly or taking your dog to the vet, they are necessities that can save you time and money later down the road. Plaque builds up on teeth at different rates for different people, so every 6 months is generally a good amount of time to guarantee that teeth are getting the cleaning that they really need. Regular dental visits are so important because prevention is a much easier process than treating existing problems. By taking excellent care of teeth and gums at home, and having a professional cleaning done by a dentist every 6 months, you are maintaining the health of your teeth properly and preventing any issues to pop up in the future.
For some, insurance policies require a 6 month dental visit in order to keep a policy. Not only does that hold patients accountable, but it also proves to the insurance company that their clients have healthy mouths that will not require a great deal of expensive treatment in the future. When patients have dental records showing that they regularly see the dentist and have positive appointments, dental insurance can actually become less expensive.
Promote Lifelong Dental Health
Styles change and trends come and go, but teeth are something that should last a lifetime. Health is something that everyone should invest in, the same way people invest in their technologies, closets, and cars. It is so important to teach children that we only get one body so we have to treat it well in order for it to be at it’s best for our entire lives. Our teeth give us the ability to chew our meals, speak our thoughts, and smile. They should be given the respect they deserve and treated well starting off right when we first get them. As parents, it is definitely a big responsibility to educate children on the importance of dental health and it is not always easy to enforce guidelines in order to build healthy habits. As time goes on and those habits are instilled, children who have successful dentist appointments and maintain good oral health into their adult lives are always thankful.
For more information on dental health, or to schedule an appointment for your child, call our office today at (407) 628-2286 for the Maitland practice or (407) 593-8900 for the St. Cloud practice. We would be happy to see your child and support the healthy growth of their beautiful smile.
