*This is a sponsored post on behalf of Crest. All opinions are my own.*
To date, we have invested about $10,000 in orthodontics for our kids, and we aren’t even done yet!
We are fortunate that our insurance pays for 50% of each of our children’s orthodontic care, but even with that generous coverage, we’ve had to come out of pocket for a lot of their orthodontics treatment.
I know it’s not an investment every family is in a position to make, but for us it is something that we find important and, since we are able to cover the costs of their orthodontics treatment, we make every effort to provide them with the best treatment possible.
That said, the investment in their smiles has made caring for their teeth long term is even more important to our family.
I mean, real talk, when you’re walking around with a grill that cost your parents upwards of five grand, you should be doing everything in your power to keep it healthy, clean, and in good working order for as long as possible.
I do my part by providing my children with regular dental care, good oral hygiene products, and ample education and training so that they are prepared, equipped, and capable of caring for their teeth. I expect them to take it from there.
Dental Health and Hygiene for Kids: 5 Things Parents Can Do to Keep Kids’ Teeth Healthy
Feed them a healthy, well balanced diet.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentist stresses the importance of a balanced diet for keeping children’s teeth healthy. Providing your child with a balanced diet, including one serving each of: fruits and vegetables, breads and cereals, milk and dairy products, and meat fish and eggs will aid in protecting your child’s teeth from decay. And, don’t forget to limit the amount of sugar they eat.
Pro tip: Stay away from fruit snacks when possible. The gummy consistency sticks to teeth and can cause cavities more easily than some other sugary treats.
Provide routine dental care.
According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentist, children should visit their dentists for a checkup every six months to prevent cavities and other issues, and to ensure proper development. All of my children had their first visit around their one year old birthdays and have visited twice a year every year since. My oldest just celebrated his 17th birthday and has been cavity free his entire life!
Help kids learn to brush properly twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
In addition to regular visits to your dentist, children should be taught the proper way to brush their teeth day and night. With very young children, parents will need to brush children’s teeth to ensure they are cleaned appropriately. Once your child is capable of brushing for himself, it is important that you teeth him to do so effectively so that he is able to ensure all of his teeth are cleaned appropriately.
Also, using a toothpaste with fluoride helps. Now that my children are older and care more about the appearance of their teeth, we are also using a toothpaste that provides additional whitening. The Crest family of toothpaste offers three options that really help our children care for their teeth with the additional benefit of also helping to whiten them.
Crest Pro-Health is formulated to help you thoroughly clean the entire mouth for better oral health. Made with stannous fluoride, Crest Pro-Health provides powerful protection against plaque, gingivitis, cavities, and gum disease and is the only toothpaste accepted by dentists to whiten teeth and freshen breath while treating plaque, gingivitis, cavities, sensitivity, and tartar.
Crest Complete Multi-Benefit Extra White + Scope Outlast Toothpaste uses ground-breaking outlast technology to provide a cool, refreshing brushing experience and a fresh feeling that lasts up to 5 times longer compared to ordinary toothpaste. Plus it contains silica, which helps to gently polish away surface stains for a whiter smile.
For ultimate whitening, Crest 3D White Radiant Mint Whitening Toothpaste uses a patented enamel-safe teeth whitening ingredient that polishes away stains to gently whiten teeth. In fact, it removes up to 80% of surface stains and protects against future stains. Its unique formula creates foaming action to clean, protect and whiten teeth with a cool blast of mint as part of your complete dental health regimen. 3D White Fluoride toothpaste also strengthens your tooth enamel and helps protect against cavities.
We love that we can get great protection, fluoride pediatric dentists recommend, and cleaner, whiter teeth with these Crest products.
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Use the Cartwheel $2-Off E-Saver Coupon for Crest Complete, Crest Pro Health, and Crest 3D White Varieties ($2 coupon can also be found in the 2/24 Sunday Newspaper)
You can also get a $5 gift card after a purchase of four select personal care items from Procter and
Gamble including Crest Complete, Crest Pro Health, and Crest 3D White Varieties.
Teach kids to floss.
And remind them that The American Dental Association says to do it at least once a day, even though if they don’t listen to you, they probably aren’t gonna give a single care what the ADA has to say about it. Flossing is a habit many people don’t get into, so starting young can help them develop it.
Consider dental sealants.
Dental sealants are a thin, protective coating (made from plastic or other dental materials) that adheres to the chewing surface of your back teeth. They provide additional protection from cavities and may even stop early stages of decay from becoming a full-blown cavity. The CDC found in a study that, “school-age children without sealants have almost three times more cavities than children with sealants” making them an effective, recommended treatment for children to protect their teeth. Your dentist will probably bring up sealants to you when your child is around age six and his first molars begin coming in.
Learn more about dental hygiene for kids on the American Academy of Pediatrics Dentists’ parent resources page.