Is brushing your teeth daily and flossing occasionally enough to prevent infants, children, adolescents, and adults from developing cavities? If only it were that easy!
Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing daily are essential daily habits to maintain your oral health, they are not — in and of themselves — sufficient to prevent cavities even with diets filled with sugary and acidic foods and drinks. Here are two checklists of steps to take to prevent cavities and other dental problems in infants and children, and in adolescents and adults. If you have any questions about preventive dentistry near you, contact a general dentist or pediatric dentist in Apollo Beach so we can help.
Dental Care Checklist for Infants and Kids
Poor dental hygiene can contribute to kids’ problems drinking, eating, teething, and even in learning to speak. The first few years of your child’s life are the best time to establish good daily oral hygiene habits and — by preserving the health of those baby teeth — reducing the need for future orthodontic work and other dental procedures.
- Use moist gauze to clean your infant’s gums and — once they start to arrive — teeth after every feeding
- Arrange your child’s first dental appointment once their first tooth appears, but no later than your child’s first birthday
- Start flossing your child’s teeth and teaching your child how to floss as soon as teeth start to emerge
- Begin using toothpaste on your child’s gums and teeth starting on their second birthday and make sure your child’s teeth are brushed once a day
- Talk to your pediatric dentist in Apollo Beach FL before using fluoride toothpaste
- Use only products recommended or approved by the American Dental Association
- Try to limit your child’s consumption of juice and sugary drinks. Whenever your child has had a sugary drink, follow it up with some plain water.
- Once your child turns seven years old, increase daily tooth brushing to twice daily.
Dental Care Checklist for Adolescents and Adults
Your adult teeth are intended to last for the rest of your natural life. There is a wide range of options for replacing teeth lost due to tooth decay and gum disease, but the very best strategy is to keep your teeth clean and healthy at all times.
- Ask your dentist if they recommend the application of a dental sealant to your adult molars
- Visit your dentist every six months for regular dental checkups
- Brush your teeth at least twice daily using a fluoride toothpaste
- Double-check your brushing technique. The best practice is: tilt the head of your brush at a 45 degree angle and brush all the surfaces of your teeth using small circles
- Replace your toothbrush after no more than three months, and as soon as the toothbrush’s bristles begin to bend
- Floss daily
- To rinse away remaining food particles and bacteria from your teeth, gums, and the inside of your mouth, use an antimicrobial mouthwash occasionally to reduce the risk of gum disease
- Don’t ignore bloody gums, but consult a dentist for advice whether it is a symptom of early periodontal disease
- Don’t drink and don’t smoke because both habits can increase the likelihood of tooth decay and periodontal disease
- Minimize your intake of sugary and acidic foods and, if you can’t resist indulging from time to time, brush your teeth quickly afterwards
- Brush your teeth after the last thing you eat in the day, before you go to bed
We are committed to preventative dentistry in Apollo Beach. Tooth decay, gum disease, and cavities are natural and common, but entirely unnecessary and preventable by committing to these habits and steps. For support in ensuring good dental health at every age, reach out to a general dentist and pediatric dentist in Apollo Beach FL for advice and to arrange regular checkups and cleanings.