Dental Care Tips For Busy Families

If you have a family, you know how busy mornings and evenings can get. Between feeding everyone breakfast, packing bags for school, and making sure you're also ready for your own workday, it can feel like there's very little time to worry about smaller tasks, like tooth care. However, proper tooth care is important for every member of the family! Here are some dental care tips that are helpful for busy families.

Pack a toothbrush and toothpaste in your kids' backpacks.

There might be mornings when your kids head out the door to the school bus without first having brushed their teeth. If you keep a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste in their backpacks, they can go to the bathroom and brush their teeth once they arrive at school. The little tubes of toothpaste that most dentists hand out at cleaning appointments are great for this purpose. Make sure you change out this toothbrush every couple of months and remind your child that it's there for days when they get to school without having brushed their teeth.

Have tooth brushing time together in the evening.

In most family homes, evenings are a little less busy than mornings. There should be a spare five minutes when you can pull all of the kids aside at once and brush your teeth together. This family brushing time allows you to help correct little ones who are not brushing their teeth properly. It also allows you to time everyone's brushing to ensure that everyone has brushed their teeth for a full two minutes. Plus, family brushing time can make tooth brushing fun, which makes kids more likely to keep up with the habit. 

Stock the fridge with healthy, non-sugary snacks.

You can affect your whole family's dental health in a positive way by providing healthy, low-sugar snacks. Stock the fridge with string cheese, low-sugar yogurt, apples, carrot sticks, and celery. Remind your kids that these snacks are there, and talk with them about what makes each snack healthy and good for their teeth. Not only will you be helping to prevent cavities in the short-term, but you'll also be teaching them good habits for the future.

The tips above will help keep your whole family's teeth in better shape, even when things get busy. For more tips and information, talk to your family dentist. They can give you more specific feedback based on your children's specific dental health. For more information about scheduling time with a family dentist, contact a local dental office.