The back-to-school transition is a time of change and it is easy to get out of routine when implementing a new one in September. The early morning rush to get out of the door can be a blur of packing lunchboxes, tying shoelaces and hunting for PE kits. Oh, and “Have you cleaned your teeth?!”
Dental care can take a bit of a back seat when faced with such a busy schedule but a child’s ability to learn effectively, enjoy playing or even eat can be greatly affected by their oral hygiene routine.
“A thorough cleaning routine is the best way to limit your child’s chances of tooth pain or discomfort,” says dental hygienist Emma Nelson, based in Derbyshire. “It’s vitally important to implement and stick to good oral hygiene habits especially during the whirl of the back-to-school period.”
“Toothache or dental disease is miserable for anyone but for children, it has the added impact of disrupting their education,” continues Emma. “However, there are several things parents can do to level-up their child’s oral health and minimise the chance of dental discomfort.”
Ensure children brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean between the teeth once a day. Keep to a routine – the school morning rush is hectic but morning and evening oral hygiene is still important. Start brushing as soon as milk teeth appear or even before you can see them. Limit sugary snacks and drinks in lunchboxes and replace with healthier options such as a fun fruit salad.
Did you know 77% of tooth decay starts between the teeth but a toothbrush alone cleans just 60% of the tooth? To hit the other surface areas that the toothbrush can’t reach, the importance of adding interdental cleaning cannot be overstated. Oral hygiene products such as DenTek’s floss picks and interdental brushes are vital and ideally, parents should introduce their children to interdental cleaning between the ages of two and six. In fact, dentists recommend children start interdental cleaning as soon as two teeth are touching.
By starting early and teaching children how to do a thorough dental clean, parents are setting them up with good oral hygiene habits that will stay with them as they grow as well as ensuring they are healthy and pain-free during those all-important learning years.
It’s time to clean between! DenTek meet the oral health needs of the population by offering a wide range of oral health accessories, from floss picks and roll floss, to tongue cleaners and scrapers, to interdental brushes and picks.
DenTek products are available at Boots, Amazon, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Superdrug, Weldricks Pharmacy and through the DenTek website.