- Brush your child’s teeth for him twice a day, especially before bedtime. This should continue until around age 8, when your child may begin to brush alone- depending on the maturity and hand coordination of your child.
- Floss your child’s teeth daily. Floss reaches the areas in between the teeth that the toothbrush cannot.
- Have regular dental checkups- at least every six months. This is especially important for children because a small cavity can become a large cavity very quickly.
- Try to limit the frequency of snacks between meals. Even snacks that you don’t think of as “sweets” (crackers, potato chips, etc) can stick in the teeth and cause cavities. Also, water is the best thing to drink between meals, as fruit juices, soft drinks, sweet tea, etc. can also cause tooth decay.
- Do not put your child to bed at night with a bottle or sippy cup in his mouth. This is the number one cause of early childhood caries, or “baby bottle tooth decay.”
- Talk to your dentist about having sealants placed on the teeth. A sealant is a protective coating that is painted on the grooves of the teeth that helps make them more resistant to decay. This is most often done on the permanent teeth, usually when the 6-year molars begin to come in.