Balancing School and Oral Health

With the Fall here and Halloween around the corner maintaining oral health should be at the top of your list! During the summer it’s easy to become more lenient with kids about what they eat, so dentists recommend that now is a good time to check in with the dentist and do a cleaning. It is recommended that school-age children visit the dentist twice a year; it is important to make sure all transitions that a child’s teeth goes through are happening in a timely manner, whether is it is losing baby teeth or expecting permanent ones to come in. It can also be a good time to check for cavities, for untreated tooth decay can keep a child from eating, speaking, sleeping, and even learning to their fullest potential. Even with possible tooth decays, 60% of children fail to visit the dentist once a year. We challenge you do beat these statistics and start the school year off with healthy teeth.

As always it is important to instill in children the habit of brushing and flossing twice a day. Dentists also recommend that brushing after every meal can be beneficial.  There are many fun toothbrushes that have been coming out, and along with buying new folders and notebooks, parents can look into buying themed travel toothbrush and toothpaste that children can bring to school in their lunchbox. Just make sure that the toothpaste contains fluoride and that the travel toothbrush has soft bristles! Parents should also be mindful of the snacks and lunches they pack. Some schools offering enticing sugary snacks for kids, but it is a good idea to pack healthy foods, keeping a child’s sugar intake at bay.

Now that everyone is back to school, let’s make it important to keep up with good oral health this school year! Feel free to contact Drs. Ali & Ali and the caring team at Wellesley Dental Group; they will be happy to answer your questions! Contact us today at 781-237-9071 or smile@wellesleydentalgroup.com

Don’t forget to drop off any excess Halloween Candy at our office between November 1st and November 7th! For more information about our Candy Drive click here.

Also, check out our kick-off Halloween Costume Party!

References:

http://islandgazette.net/news-server5/index.php/local-business-news/business-news/health-and-wellness/20333-back-to-school-time-to-get-back-to-dental-routine-9-11-2013

http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/ADA/2010/article/ADA-08-Consumer-News-Back-to-School.cvsp

http://www.astdd.org/docs/schoolbased-ohp-ma-oh-coalition-whitepaper-nov-2011.pdf

http://thegazette.com/2012/10/31/halloween-a-dentists-dilemma/