Children’s Dentist: Keep Your Children Smiling

There's nothing quite like witnessing a happy child's bright beautiful smile. Arlington children's dentist Dr. Mary Gregory wants her young and impressionable patients to keep smiling confidently throughout their youthful years and beyond. She offers their parents tips for how to ensure that children keep smiling well into adulthood.

 

 

 

Brushing is certainly not at the top of the list of things that young children want to do each day. They would much rather spend that extra few minutes running, jumping, playing and asking their parents uncomfortable questions. But brushing day and night for at least two minutes each is the best thing that young children can do if they want to preserve their dental health. Set up a fun timer on the sink next to the child’s toothbrush that dings when two minutes are up. Arlington children's dentist Dr. Gregory makes sure that his young patients leave his office with plenty of toothbrushes and tasty toothpaste to encourage them to brush regularly.

 

 

 

Kids love candy -- that is just a fact of life. But sugar is the worst enemy to your child's young teeth. Sugar wears away at the enamel of the teeth and causes cavities to develop. If your kids just have to have candy, soda and other treats, give them sugar-free options instead. And don’t forget that kids are naturally inquisitive and smart -- explain to them exactly what sugar does to the teeth so that they can understand for themselves. They just might decide on their own to stop eating so much candy.

 

 

 

Dentists recommend that patients get their braces as early as possible preferably in their preteens or teen years. This is because the child's mouth and jawline is still forming during those years. Having a child’s teeth straightened at a young age will help give him the confidence he needs to keep smiling.

 

A child may not realize just yet how important good dental health is, but if you help her develop good dental health habits as a youngster, she will thank you later. Contact Arlington children's dentist Dr. Mary Gregory to set up an appointment for your child to get a checkup -- just visit drmarygregory.com or call (703) 527-6495 to speak with an understanding and caring staff member.