In order to slow the spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic, all non-essential businesses and schools have been temporarily closed. While staying at home will keep your little one safer from the coronavirus, they may be more prone to forgetting about their oral health. The last thing they need is to get a cavity or toothache during quarantine! Here are eight tips from your Natick children’s dentist to help your son or daughter take care of their smile while stuck at home.
1.) Practice Regular Dental Routines
All these sudden changes can easily make life feel somewhat chaotic, especially for your child. Experts recommend practicing regular routines to help retain a sense of normalcy. Reminding them to brush their teeth every night will help keep your child’s smile clean and their minds a little more at-ease.
2.) Make Toothbrushing More Fun
Your little one won’t want to brush their teeth if it feels like a chore. You can make it more entertaining by encouraging them to listen to a song, dance, or read for two minutes as they brush.
3.) Watch How Much Toothpaste They Use
Children over six years old only need a pea-sized drop of toothpaste, and younger children need even less. Make sure they’re not using too much to avoid needing to take a trip to the store.
4.) Cook Healthy Meals Together
Get them involved in preparing family meals. This is a great way to teach them valuable skills as well as which foods are good and bad for their teeth.
5.) Keep Snacks Put Away
If your son or daughter is bored, they’re likely to mindlessly graze on whatever snacks are available. Lower their risk of tooth decay by always keeping snacks away and out of sight.
6.) Reward Their Healthy Habits
Creating a habit tracker for your child’s oral health habits with a goal they can work towards can keep them engaged and focused on taking care of their smile.
7.) Make Oral Health a Family Priority
Brushing and flossing can be more fun if the whole family does it together! Not only will this encourage them to brush properly, but it ensures you’re taking care of your own oral health as well.
8.) Establish Life-Long Lessons
Social distancing with your son or daughter gives you both the chance to focus on and perfect their oral hygiene. The healthy habits you instill in them now can help keep their smiles happy and healthy throughout quarantine and well after as well.
About the Practice
For your Natick family dentist at Papageorgiou Dental Associates, the wellbeing of you and your loved ones has always been our highest priority. That’s why we’ve chosen to close our office and only accept emergency appointments until further notice. However, we want to continue to help care for your family’s smiles by sharing important information and providing any regular oral care products you may need. Feel free to reach us via (508) 545-1126 to make arrangements for a no-contact way to pick up your supplies.