Summer Vacation:  Healthy Dental Habits for Kids

We are making our way through Spring, and summer is right around the corner. With everyone’s schedule changing, it is easy to get off-track with your children’s dental hygiene. Here are some summer oral health tips that will help them keep their teeth strong and healthy.

Keep Oral Hygiene a Priority

Regular brushing and flossing in the summer are just as important as any other time of year, maybe more so due to all those popsicles and ice cream your kids are eating to stay cool. However, camp, vacations, and lazy days spent at the pool can cause your kids to forget, so be prepared to remind them often.

To make it a little more appealing, let your kids pick out brand new toothbrushes to start out the summer season. You should also stock up on travel-size toothbrushes and floss for all of those day trips or vacations.

Don’t Forget their Checkups

While most parents like to schedule their children’s routine dental appointments in August to be prepared for a new school year, it is actually better to push them up a couple of months. By scheduling at the end of the school year, your kids will have a clean bill of health to start out the summer season with. That way you can avoid a toothache spoiling your child’s vacation.

Keep Plenty of Healthy Snacks Around

It’s difficult to keep your kids from snacking when they are home from school all day, so be prepared with plenty of healthy ones for them to choose from. Some healthy alternatives include:

• Fresh fruit
• Raw vegetables
• Cheese
• Yogurt

And don’t forget to include healthy beverages, too, like spring water.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

While summer activities at the playground or pool can be great fun and healthy exercise for your kids, it is important to take precautions to avoid injury.

• Teach your kids to follow pool rules.  Bumping their mouths on the pool’s edge, diving in shallow water, and running on the pool deck can all lead to chipped or loose teeth.
• If they do suffer an injury, take them to the dentist immediately.
• Keep a dental emergency kit on hand.  This includes gauze, ibuprofen, and a small container with a lid to transport any teeth that were knocked out.

Conclusion

By following these guidelines, your children can enjoy a healthy summer, and develop strong long term dental habits. Make sure you’ve scheduled all of your children’s bi-annual checkups, and feel free to reach out to our office if you have any questions!