Why Good Dental Health is Important
Innumerable studies and research have concluded on the importance of starting children early in their lives with good dental hygiene and oral care. According to research, the most common chronic childhood disease in America is tooth decay, affecting 50 percent of first-graders and 80 percent of 17-year-olds. Early treatment prevents problems affecting a child’s health, well-being, self-image and overall achievement.

The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research estimates that children will miss 52 million hours of school each year due to oral health problems and about 12.5 million days of restricted activity every year from dental symptoms. Because there is such a significant

loss in their academic performance, the Surgeon General has made children’s oral health a priority.

Parents are responsible for ensuring their children practice good dental hygiene. Parents must introduce proper oral care early in a child's life—as early as infancy. The American Dental Hygiene Association states that a good oral hygiene routine for children includes:

• Thoroughly cleaning your infant’s gums after each feeding with a water-soaked infant cloth. This stimulates the gum tissue and removes food.
• Gently brushing your baby’s erupted teeth with a small, soft-bristled toothbrush. Children should not use fluoridated toothpaste until they can spit it out in the sink, usually about 5 years of age.
• Teaching your child at age 2 or 3 about proper brushing techniques and later, at 7 or 8 years old, about gentle flossing.
• Parents should be brushing their child’s teeth at least twice a day until the child can adequately brush by himself. This usually occurs at 9-10 years of age. Also, parents need to floss all of the teeth that touch each other.
• Regular visits with their dentist to check for cavities in the primary teeth and for possible developmental problems.
• Encouraging your child to discuss any fears they may have about oral health visits, but not mentioning words like “pain” or “hurt,” since this may instill the possibility of pain in the child’s thought process.
• Determining if the water supply that serves your home is fluoridated; if not, discussing supplement options with your dentist or hygienist.
• Asking your hygienist or dentist about sealant applications to protect your child’s teeth-chewing surfaces and about baby bottle tooth decay, which occurs when teeth are frequently exposed to sugared liquids.
• Monitoring the child’s brushing and flossing until they have consistently good results.