Can you believe school starts next week? Whether you’re still shopping for school supplies or you have things well in hand, there are a few items you may have forgotten.
Great oral health is a key part of setting your kids up for success this school year. Did you know that untreated dental problems like cavities have been associated with poor school performance?
It’s no wonder! Tooth pain can disrupt sleep, make it hard to eat, and become a constant distraction in class.
As you prepare for the upcoming school year, be sure you’re giving your kids everything they need for strong, healthy teeth and gums!
Keeping Up with Home Care During the Back-to-School Season
For some kids, getting back to your regular routine makes it easier to remember things like brushing and flossing. For others, it’s the first thing to fall to the wayside in the rush to get out the door on time in the morning. Or they might be so tired at the end of a long school day that they just want to go to bed without brushing.
Good home care habits are the foundation of good oral health. So what can you do to make sure your kids can keep up during the busy back to school season?
- Brush first. For many of us, we head to the bathroom first thing when we wake up in the morning. Why not have your kids brush while they’re already in there? One of the major problems many families run into is that their kids run out of time to brush their teeth in the morning. It only takes two minutes, so get it out of the way early and you won’t have to worry about it!
- Set a timer. It’s only two minutes, but make sure it’s a full two minutes! Brushing too fast is one of the major reasons children tend to miss areas while they’re brushing, which allows plaque to build up and increases risks for cavities and gum disease.
- Use reminders. Setting up alerts on your phone or hanging up visual reminders can go a long way to helping kids remember to take care of their teeth. While you may prefer a bathroom that’s free from clutter, leaving all dental supplies out where it’s visible can make a big difference, too.
- Don’t put brushing off in the evenings. Just like finding time to brush in the morning, evenings can become a crunch between after-school activities, dinner, studying, and socializing. Rather than waiting until bedtime to brush, have your kids take care of it right after dinner or before they take a shower. Sometimes shuffling your schedule around is all it takes to stay on track!
All that said, the basics never change: brush at least twice per day for two minutes each time; floss at least once per day (or use a water flosser); and try to keep food off your teeth by rinsing or chewing sugar-free gum after meals.
As easy as that sounds, there are a few hacks you can use to make things even easier.
Healthy Smile Hacks for Kids in School
Keeping teeth clean at home should be fairly straightforward. But how can you help your kids keep things clean on the go?
If your kids tend to run out of time to brush in the morning…
Pack a travel toothbrush. For those mornings when the chaos is just too much, consider packing some travel dental supplies with your child’s other back-to-school items.
They can even brush in the car without toothpaste and rinse with water if it comes down to it.
Floss picks are also easier to use on the go, and usually come in a convenient box that’s easy to keep in a backpack or lunchbox.
If your child is in braces…
Encourage your kids to keep it clean after lunch. Especially if they have braces, lunch can leave lots of food debris that can increase dental health problems, plus feeling uncomfortable and contributing to bad breath.
A quick brush is ideal, but even swishing with plain water goes a long way to keep things clean.
Even if they’re not in braces, those same habits are helpful for anyone. (Even adults!)
If your child has a loose tooth…
Try to pack soft, easy-to-chew foods. Loose teeth can be painful, especially when chewy or hard foods press them into the gums. So try to stick to soft foods until loose teeth come out.
If your child eats lunches provided by the school, contact them to ask if they have soft options that can be provided on request.
Also be sure to let your kid know what to do if their tooth falls out during the school day. Tell them what to do with the tooth (such as putting it in a Ziploc you’ve added to their pencil case), and to bite down on a clean napkin if the gums are bleeding.
Protecting Your Child’s Smile During After-School Sports
After-school activities deserve their own section because they add a lot of potential oral health risks. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your kids’ teeth during extracurriculars, too!
Get a quality mouth guard for any kids in after-school sports. They’re usually required for sports like football, but they’re a good call for lots of sports you may not normally consider.
Many sports-related oral injuries aren’t from direct impact to the teeth themselves. Instead, they happen because of sudden movements that cause them to bite down hard enough to crack or chip their teeth.
Weightlifting can lead to catastrophic injuries people may not expect, especially with moves like bench presses. Likewise, soccer players may run into each other and injure their teeth.
Plus, mouth guards have been shown to improve athletic performance in many cases!
Avoid sipping on sports drinks for prolonged periods. Sports drinks can be an important part of staying hydrated, especially here in Florida. However, sipping on them little by little exposes the teeth to acids that can erode enamel.
Instead, have your kids drink their sports drinks in a shorter time (obviously not so fast they get cramps or upset their stomach) and then rinse with water.
Spring for the right head gear, preferably a high-quality helmet with a face guard. Many sports injuries may damage the jaw joints, jaw bone, or bones of the face that support the teeth. Hockey pucks, racquetballs, and baseballs are major offenders.
As mentioned above, limiting impacts that can slam the teeth together is a great way to protect your child’s smile during sports practice.
Lake Baldwin Dental Is Here to Help!
Our team at Lake Baldwin Dental is dedicated to improving oral health for everyone in your family! If your kids struggle to keep up with their good home care habits during the school year, talk to us. We may be able to help you come up with a plan that works for your family and your schedule.
There’s just one last component to protecting your kids’ smiles for a successful school year.
Bring them in for a dental cleaning and oral health exam! Our welcoming team is full of experts who can make a child’s first dental visit a good one so they look forward to every visit to the dentist. Our dental office in Baldwin Park offers convenient scheduling options with consideration for your busy school year. Call us to schedule your kids’ next visits and keep smiling, Orlando!
