Encouraging children to look after their teeth can sometimes be an uphill battle. Here are some oral health tips that encourage better dental care in kids.

Tooth-Friendly Food:

Fruit, vegetables, cheese, lean meat and nuts are better for teeth than cookies, candy and chips, but children sometimes need encouragement to make those healthy choices. They worry about eating unfamiliar food, and can feel uncomfortable without control over their own diet. If you want to improve your children’s eating habits, consider these tips to make the process fun for them.

• Involve your child in buying or growing your food, and let him prepare it for the table.
• Bring your child’s favorite teddy to the dinner table. Young children are often happier about eating an unfamiliar food if they have “fed” it to someone else first.
• Make healthy food convenient. Hungry children don’t want to wait while you chop carrots, wash an apple or cut cheese into cubes, so have a container of pre-prepared healthy snacks in the refrigerator ready for when a stomach starts to rumble.
• Give your kids a list of healthy snacks, take a trip to the supermarket and let them fill a basket and pay at the checkout. At home, put the snacks in a special box and label it with their names.
• Save sugary and starchy food for mealtimes. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) says that eating these foods in meals reduces their potential to cause cavities.

If you or your child are in need of a dental checkup, give us a call and schedule an appointment today!