In the Know for You to Know

Summer is in full swing. Long days, hot weather, fun times, and lots of cold icy drinks.

All this fun in the sun makes children thirsty. How do you keep up and make sure they’re drinking the right beverage?

What is the best thing for children to drink? The answer is simple, water.

Yes, it’s water.

These are the reasons why water needs to be your go to summer drink for your child ~

#1. Juice, Soda, Sports Drinks or Water

All beverages are not created equal. A serving of juice, soda or a sports drink contains extra sugar and calories while not quenching your child’s thirst. What really happens is they keep getting thirstier and asking for more.

Water has ZERO added sugar and ZERO calories. It’s also refreshing and quenches their thirst with the first cup.

Are you worried that plain water is boring? Give your water flair. Dress up your water by drinking it icy cold (remember not to chew on the ice) which makes their cup taste better; so does adding slices of cucumber, a sliced berry or cherry to your water pitcher. Every one can have a turn choosing their water mix-in.

Remember to keep the cucumber, berry, cherry in the pitcher, so it stays fresh and tasty for everyone’s cup!

#2. Water Gives Your Child Strong Teeth

With Zero added sugar and Zero calories water is already going a long way to building strong teeth and healthy mouths.

What can make this better? Fluoride in your water. Fluoride is nature’s cavity fighter.

No added sugar, no calories and fluoride all add up to an easy and one of the most beneficial ways you can help prevent cavities.

#3. Keep Those Cavity Causing Bacteria In Check

Drinking all that juice (and yes even 100% juice), soda, and sports drinks leaves a lot of sugar on your child’s teeth. The cavity causing bacteria in their mouth love all this sugar. Not only does the bacteria eat the sugar, the result is the outer layers of enamel on their teeth are also worn away.

Water washes away the residual food in their mouth and dilutes any sugar residues that are left behind.

While you’ll need to make sure their teeth are brushed 2 Minutes 2X’s a Day and floss every night before brushing, making water your choice to drink goes a long way to happy healthy teeth, smiles and children.

Is All Water The Same?

The best water for your child to drink contains fluoride, is unsweetened and uncarbonated.

The reasons why are because ~

1. Water with fluoride helps to strengthen tooth enamel and reduce the risk of cavities,
2. Uncarbonated water is better for teeth as opposed to carbonated water which can weaken tooth enamel,
3. Water should be unsweetened because added sugars increase the risk of cavities.

How To Convince Your Child To Drink Water

There are 2 challenges for parents when you’re trying to have your child drink water.

The 1st is actually getting them to drink water. The 2nd is finding ways to make it fun, so they’ll keep drinking water.

These are some tips on how to encourage your child to keep drinking water ~

• Let them choose their own water bottle or special cup,
• Add a piece of fresh fruit like strawberry or cherry to the water pitcher,
• Make ice cubes with pieces of fresh strawberry or cherry,
• If fruity isn’t their style, try adding slices of cucumber or a sprig of mint to the water for a refreshing taste,
• Buy fun straws for them to drink with,
• Make a sticker chart with daily or weekly water drinking goals. Every cup of water that is finished to the last drop earns a sticker. Count up the stickers weekly or monthly. When the goal is reached, it’s time to reward your child’s healthy drinking with a prize.
• Remember your children are watching and learn by your example. Set an example for your child by drinking more water yourself.

What’s in Your Water Bottle Mom and Dad?

Let’s face it children are always watching what their parent is doing. With your encouragement, daily routine and positive reinforcement your child can learn to make water their beverage of choice.

What’s in your child’s cup? bottle? drink bottle? Is it a struggle for your child to drink water? Do they take a sip of water, hand the cup back to you and then ask for something else? Can you count on one hand how many cups of water your child will drink in a week? in a month? Tell us, We’d really like to know! Send us an email at kidstoothhotline@proton.me Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!

In the Know for You to Know

Did you know there is actually a day devoted to the humble toothbrush?

Yes there is, and today is the day. June 26 is Toothbrush Day!

So here’s the scoop on this simple but mighty tool we use 2X’s A Day everyday.

5 Tips To Know About Toothbrushes

1. Soft toothbrushes are gentle, effective and best for toothbrushing.
2. Choose toothbrushes with round nylon bristles for comfortable brushing.
3. Toothbrush bristles wear down and wear out. Replace your child’s toothbrush or toothbrush head (if you use an electric brush) every 3 months.
4. Let toothbrushes dry upright, uncovered and away from sink splashes to avoid germs.
5. Sharing is not caring for toothbrushes.

How Old Is The Toothbrush?

The toothbrush is 5,000 years old.

Ancient civilizations used thin twigs with ragged ends to remove food from their teeth.

As toothbrushes evolved they were made with different materials. Handles were made from bone, wood, or ivory. While the bristles came from a variety of animal’s hair like hogs and boars.

The modern nylon bristle toothbrush we know today was invented in 1938.

The Toothbrush Debate, Manual Or Electric?

Both types of toothbrushes can effectively and thoroughly clean your teeth. It all depends on which one you prefer.

What To Remember

Toothbrushes are portable. Keep a spare in your child’s camp bag or trip bag when you’re on summer vacation so you never miss your 2 Minutes 2 Times A Day brush.

These 4 minutes a day go a long way to help give your child their healthy smile.

Are you pro electric toothbrush? or, Are you on team manual toothbrush? When did you think the toothbrush was invented? Share with us your toothbrush trivia. Tell us. We’d really like to know! Email us at kidstoothhotline@protonmail.me, Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!

In the Know for You to Know

Flossing your child’s teeth is especially important. Yet it is frequently overlooked. This is because no one really teaches us how to floss our own teeth, let alone our child’s teeth.

Last week we talked about why it’s so important to floss your child’s teeth.

Today we’re discussing the basics on how to floss your child’s teeth. This is your step by step description for flossing.

Types Of Dental Floss

There are so many types of dental floss to choose from~

• waxed and unwaxed
• flavored (grape, bubblegum, mint) and unflavored
• wide and regular
• textured and smooth

There is also~

• regular string floss
• pre-threaded flossers (great for children!)
• floss holders (you put on and change the floss with each use)

Floss Techniques

Pre-threaded flossers are great when flossing your children’s teeth. There are so many colors, shapes, and flavors to choose from which makes this easier for you and keeps them entertained and interested. Remember to clean the floss with a tissue after flossing between each tooth.

String floss is also a good choice. With this method you are wrapping the floss around your fingers (like you do for yourself). 

Where To Start Flossing

You may want to start between the two front teeth and floss towards the back. Or you may want to start in the back and floss all the way around.

Which ever is your preference and works best for you and your child, remember to floss the back side of their most back teeth.

What If My Child’s Gums Bleed?

Your child’s gums may bleed when you first start flossing. This is because when flossing isn’t part of your nightly routine their gums become inflamed (aka gingivitis).

As you continue your nightly flossing their gum’s get healthier and the bleeding stops.

How To Floss Teeth

So what are the steps~

1. Take a piece of floss about 20 inches long (think shoulder to shoulder) and wind most of it around your index (or middle) finger,
2. Wind the rest of the floss around the same finger on your other hand (this is the finger you will wrap the used floss around),
3. Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers,
4. With your thumbs pointing upward for the top teeth (and downward for the bottom teeth) guide the floss down between your child’s teeth. Go gently you don’t want to push onto their gums,
5. When the floss is between your child’s teeth curve the floss so that it forms a “C” around their tooth and hugs the tooth,
6. Gently slide the floss into the natural space between the tooth and the gums and rub the side of their tooth. You want the floss to go around their tooth and under their gums,
7. When you’ve finished flossing that tooth, unwind the clean floss from your first finger and and wind the used floss around the same finger of your other hand,
8. Now floss their next tooth, and their next tooth as you go all around their mouth.

How Long Do I Have To Floss My Child’s Teeth?

Like tying their shoes this takes time and dexterity. Don’t worry if it takes a little longer than you’d like.

Usually around the time children are 10 or 11 years old they start flossing and you start watching. This way you make sure they are flossing between all their teeth, especially the hardest to reach ones all the way in the back.

Don’t be discouraged if this is hard when you start. Try starting with one or two teeth a night in the beginning and don’t forget to congratulate yourself on your success!

Remember, you’re helping your child form healthy habits that will last a lifetime!

How old was your child when you started flossing their teeth? Are you flossing their teeth or have they started to floss? What flossing tips and tricks work best for your family? Tell us, We’d really like to know! Email us at kidstoothhotline@protonmail.com, Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!

In the Know for You to Know

You hear it every time you’re at the dentist’s office, whether it’s for you or your child. Remember to floss, floss, floss every night.

Yes flossing is an integral part of your nightly routine. Yes it will help with good breath. Yes you’ve heard it all before.

Flossing every night before you brush your child’s teeth teaches them something valuable. In a meaningful way you are showing them that this is their nightly normal, their routine, their habit.

The best time to introduce flossing is when your child is a toddler. That’s right, from the first time they have 2 teeth touching each other. Yes, when any 2 teeth are touching.

But why is flossing a healthy habit and why is it so important to floss your child’s teeth?

Why Is Flossing Important?

Flossing is important because toothbrushing alone can’t remove everything.

Floss goes where no toothbrush can go. The bristles on a brush may look like they can go everywhere. They can’t.

This is because the bristles are too thick (really they are, no joke, totally serious). Unlike a toothbrush, floss fits in-between their teeth and along the gum line under where the teeth touch.

3 Reasons Flossing Is Important

1. Not only does this help with cleaning all the tooth surfaces and helps reduce the risk of cavities,
2. Flossing helps reduce the risk of all ready formed small cavities which are in-between the teeth from getting bigger, and
3. Flossing helps control bad breath by removing bacteria and old food from in-between your child’s teeth.

Flossing Tip

You only want to floss 1 time a night, so keep this in mind.

Remember to floss first and brush second. This way you brush away all the stuff the floss takes out from between the teeth.

What To Remember

Don’t be discouraged if this is hard when you start.

Try starting with flossing 1 or 2 teeth a night for the 1st week. Then add flossing a 3rd tooth the 2nd week. Then a 4th tooth on the 3rd week. Keep adding another tooth to floss each week and before you know it you’ll be flossing all of your child’s teeth.

You can give your child a choice about which teeth to floss, like the top front or bottom right side. Then let the flossing begin.

Remember, Congratulate yourself on your success!

Does your child floss their own teeth or do you floss their teeth? What type of flosser are you? Are you a once a week flosser? An every night flosser? Somewhere in between flosser? An only when necessary flosser? A never flosser? How old was your child when you started flossing their teeth? Tell us, We’d really like to know! Email us at kidstoothhotline@protonmail.com, Like Us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!

In the Know for You to Know

Twice a day everyday it’s Brush, Rinse, Brush, Rinse and Repeat.

With all this toothbrushing and your hectic schedule, the last thing on your mind is keeping your child’s toothbrush clean and fresh between brushings.

So how do you keep their toothbrush clean between brushing?

These are the 6 ways to take care of your child’s toothbrush. So your child’s toothbrush will help you take care of them.

1. Cleaning toothbrushes is easy
   Rinse your brushes with tap water to remove any remaining toothpaste and food particles from the bristles.
2. Toothbrushes like to be left out in the open
   Store your brushes upright and allow them to air dry. Don’t cover or put them into closed containers. A closed container keeps the brushes wet and allows bacteria to grow on the bristles.
3. Keep toothbrushes separate
   If you store your toothbrush with other toothbrushes make sure they aren’t touching or close to each other. Keep them separated to prevent cross contamination.
4. Store toothbrushes so they don’t get splashed on
   Keep your brushes away from the edge of the sink and counter top. This way they’re not accidentally splashed on when someone is washing their hands or reaching for the towel. It’s also a good way to help avoid getting germs on the brushes.
5. Sharing is not caring with toothbrushes
 Sharing a toothbrush means you’re also sharing germs.
6. Replace your child’s toothbrush every 3 months
   90 days of toothbrushing for 2 minutes twice a day (that’s 180 brushings) takes a toll on a toothbrush’s bristles. The bristles become worn down, don’t do a good job with brushing and give germs a place to grow. Regularly replacing your child’s brush allows you to keep up with your good healthy habits.

What do you do to keep your child’s toothbrush clean and fresh? How often do you find you need to replace your child’s tooth brush? Share your tip with us. We’d really like to know! Send us an email at kidstoothhotline@proton.me and Like us on Facebook

More tips? We have lots. We’re here just for kids!