Every Dentist Needs Your Help Keeping Your Teeth Healthy

June is National Smile Month! This month is dedicated to promoting dental health and good dental care throughout all stages of life. It's the perfect time to focus on dental care with your kids, ensuring that they develop good oral hygiene habits that last them a lifetime. Here are four ways to celebrate with your kids.

Pick out new toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Changing toothbrushes every three months is important for effective brushing. Your kids are more likely to brush if they have a toothbrush and toothpaste that they love. So, take a trip to the grocery store or pharmacy together, and let each of your kids pick out their own toothbrush and flavor of toothpaste. There are character toothbrushes, ones that change color, and more. Just make sure the products they choose have the ADA seal so you can be confident they are safe and effective.

Watch toothbrushing videos.

Gather everyone on the couch, and watch a few videos about tooth brushing and tooth care on YouTube. There are an array of videos suitable for all ages, so you're sure to find a few that speak to your children's maturity level. Consider watching one video per day for a week. Talk about what you learned throughout the day so the information stays relevant in your children's minds.

Talk about tooth-healthy foods.

Sit down with your kids, and have a talk about what foods are good for teeth and which are not. Explain to them how sugar is bad for their teeth, and how foods with a lot of calcium are good for their teeth. Then, go through your cabinet together, and put foods into "good" and "bad" piles based on their effects on dental health. Make sure your kids know that it's okay to eat a few "bad" foods once in a while as long as they usually focus on the "good" foods.

Visit the dentist.

If it has been a while since your kids have seen the dentist for a checkup, this is the perfect time to make an appointment. See if your dentist can schedule your whole family for back-to-back appointments. This way, you only have to make one trip. If your kids feel a bit nervous about getting their teeth cleaned, they can watch you go first -- this will make them feel more comfortable.

By the end of National Smile Month, you and your kids will have the healthiest mouths around! Happy brushing. To learn more, contact a dentist like Jeffrey S. Thaller DMD.