As a parent, it is important to take your child to the family dentist so that they can stay in excellent oral health. The habits you form now will stick with them throughout their lifetime, and the gift of healthy teeth is priceless. If your child is a little athlete, trips to the dentist are even more important. That’s because athletes of all ages are at a greater risk of getting their teeth damaged while practicing or playing a game. We can help to protect their pearly whites from becoming injured.
It all starts with staying healthy. When teeth and gums are healthy and infection free, they are less likely to become damaged during a sports accident or any accident. By cleaning your child’s teeth twice a year, we can remove bacteria and plaque that are trapped in hard to reach places or left over from brushing and flossing at home. This is an important step in preventing both cavities and gum disease. If we notice any health issues during a dental exam, we can let you know and make a treatment recommendation. When we treat cavities in their early stages, your child is unlikely to experience any daily tooth pain. If, however, it is left undiagnosed and untreated, a cavity can give them a major toothache. These regular visits do wonders for keeping your child healthy and pain-free.
As a family dentist, we also recommend that you focus on a healthy diet at home that includes green vegetables, cheese, yogurt, lean protein, and crunchy fruits and veggies to keep your kids’ teeth healthy. When these foods are incorporated into their daily diet, it will help to strengthen their teeth whereas eating sugary snacks like cookies and crackers can increase their risk of developing cavities. It is also important that they drink a lot of water and avoid sugary drinks like juice or soda unless you can brush their teeth immediately afterwards. Even milk is a bad drink for after bedtime because it contains sugar that would be left on teeth all night long, if not brushed afterwards. Combining a healthy diet with brushing and flossing throughout the day will help to strengthen your kid’s teeth.
Another way to protect your child’s teeth from a sports injury is to have them wear a mouth guard. The American Dental Association reported that over 200,000 injuries are prevented every year by high school and college football players wearing a mouth guard. That statistic is for one sport and a specific age group. Imagine how many more injuries could be prevented across all sports and all ages. Research out of the University of California athletic department sheds further light on this issue. They found that basketball players had an 11 percent chance of getting a tooth injury while playing for the University. Basketball players are not required to wear a mouth guard, and most don’t. As a parent, you can have your child to wear one regardless of what sport they are playing, and we can provide further assistance in making sure that the guard fits them properly. By following these precautions and visiting our family dentist office, you can protect your little athlete’s teeth for years to come.