Oral care is important at any age. Creating a routine of good hygiene can set young children up for a lifetime of smile success. Even if your child is homeschooled, you still need to treat dentistry as part of the daily routine. Check out these oral care tips for homeschool children to protect your child’s smile.
Schedule a Back-to-School Oral Checkup
Children should receive an oral exam and teeth cleaning twice per year. Many parents like to schedule one of these appointments before school starts to give their children a fresh smile for the school year. Plan your child’s back-to-school checkup to look for warning signs of tooth decay. If your dentist discovers any issues, you can treat them right away and preserve your child’s smile.
Use the Same Teeth Brushing Schedule for School Days and Weekends
Repetition is crucial for teaching children basic life skills. If you make brushing and flossing part of the daily routine, your child will develop great habits for the future. It’s important to use the same oral hygiene schedule for school days and weekends. Even if your child has a slightly adjusted bedtime for the weekends, the general steps in the day should be the same. Eat breakfast, brush teeth. Take a bath, brush teeth. Create a pattern to familiarize your child with smile care.
Maintain a Healthy Balanced Diet for Your Children
One of the biggest complaints parents have about homeschooling is that their children constantly want to snack. Your child knows that food is readily available and thinks about it more than they would in a classroom. Make sure your child has access to healthy snacks, like carrot sticks, yogurt or apples. Avoid chips, candy and other junk foods that have limited nutritional value. Your child’s overall health directly impacts their oral health, so make sure they’re getting enriching nutrients throughout the day.
Incorporate Oral Care into School Lessons
You can use oral care as a homeschooling tool. For instance, you could create a counting game for brushing teeth. Make a song to sing while brushing and flossing that correlates with what your child is learning. For older children, you could have a “riddle of the day” that they have to solve while they brush their teeth. This gets their brains working and makes brushing fun!
There’s an excellent Sesame Street Teeth Brushing Game that your children can play to learn how to brush their teeth. The game is free, easy, and downright fun. Your child can learn the basics of teeth brushing and apply them to his or her smile. Pretend that your kid is a contestant in the game, and let their imagination run wild.
Get Personalized Oral Hygiene Tips from Your Family Dentist
Every child’s smile is unique. During your pediatric dentist appointments, you can learn personalized oral care tips for your child. Apply those to the homeschooling routine, and you’ll have a great smile greeting you every morning. To schedule a child dentist appointment in Chesterfield MI, contact Clinton Dental Center at (586) 949-5363.
