Smiling with braces may be challenging when your child feels awkward and conscious about showing them. However, the benefits of braces far outweigh the self-consciousness and awkwardness he/she may experience while wearing them. The American Dental Association (ADA) said that having a crooked teeth or a misaligned teeth increase the risk of getting gum disease, tooth decay and other oral problems.

Give your child’s confidence a lasting boost by trying these tips:

Focus on the Good
Focus on what your child is good at. Encourage them to pursue the things that they love doing like going out for the basketball, auditioning in a school play or joining a school club. Don’t focus on the outward appearance like his or her clothes or hair as this way turn the other way around and lower his/her confidence. When you tell him/her to get a new haircut or clothing, he may not hear it as ‘bringing out the best you’ but instead ‘because you are not attractive’.

Push him/her to do all the thing they love while wearing braces. With every instance of success, their smile will be much more justified.

Support your child
Despite the expected times of insecurity, be a rock to your child while he/she is still adjusting to the braces. If you had braces when you were younger, share it right away, especially those when you are smiling. Then show him/her your current teeth and stress the fact that you are thankful that you had braces when you’re younger, even if you likewise hated them.

Your child may still complain, and will surely do once they found out that they will keep them for many months. However, do not ignore your son or daughter’s concerns. Lister to him and let him know that you feel it’s not easy too.

Dress 'Em Up
Today’s braces are a little more stylish compared to those of the past. In the past, options are limited to clear rubber bands and metal brackets. But today, children can choose from different colors – blue, pink, purple, black, even green, when choosing the rubber band for their braces. If your child is able to choose a color, smiling with braces may become more encouraging for your child.

Smile
Finally, get your child smiling with braces by smiling too. Be the best role model when it comes to oral care. It can have a huge impact on how your child feels about themselves.
 
How to Care for Your Child’s Braces
One factor why your kid is self-conscious with braces is that fact that braces can be tricky to clean. Depending on how old your child is, you can help him or her brush and floss with their braces.
 
Mint Kids Dentistry’s top priority is bringing children and adolescents on the right path to dental health and proper oral hygiene. Dr. Soo Jun believes that early education will prepare kids to a lifetime of optimal dental health. Hence, she educates the importance of routine dental checkups and proper oral care.
 
Schedule an appointment as http://bellevuekidsdentistry.com/.

At Bellevue Kids Dentistry by Dr. Soo Jun, we know how important dental hygiene is for kids.
 
Do you find it hard to encourage your kids to brush his/her teeth before school? Young kids do not understand the importance of dental hygiene or overall dental health. For parents, dental hygiene for kids should not concentrate on the nuts and bolts of dental care. Your child may be too young to understand how plaque forms. Instead, create a fun and enjoyable experience of mouth care in the family.
 
Buy a special brush and toothpaste
One way to ignite your child’s interest is to buy a colourful, fun toothbrush. Replace an old toothbrush with new, fun brush with colourful, soft bristles or one that is adorned with your child’s favourite cartoon character.
 
Aside from the toothbrush, you can also buy a special toothpaste to go along with it. Your toddler may not be running to the bathroom to use your hot, minty toothpaste. But he can feel excitement cleaning his teeth using a watermelon or gum-flavored toothpaste packaged in his favourite cartoon character.

Do it together
Another way to make mouth care fun for kids is to do it together. Make your child interested by brushing and flossing together. Kids love to copy what their parents do. Guide your son or daughter with the proper way of brushing, including tongue brushing. After you brush, floss your child’s teeth or help them if they’re old enough to do it by themselves. Make routine brushing exciting and fun by singing a fun song or a rhyme about keeping the teeth clean.
 
Keep track of time
The American Dental Association recommends brushing for only two minutes, two times a day. To make sure your child brushes only for that time period, use a two-minute sand time. Simply flip it over and start brusing.
 
Another way is to use mobile apps like the Disney Magic Timer that is available in App Store for free. This app features 23 characters from Marvel, Star Wars and Disney. By using this app, it will bring more fun to daily brushing routine, encouraging kids to brush longer.
 
Play a fun video
Look for some fun video on dental hygiene for kids. Videos and stories designed for kids are effective teaching materials for kids on how to take good care of their teeth and of making mouth care something they can relate to.
 
Create a reward system
Make flossing and brushing more enjoyable by making your own gold star reward system. You and your son or daughter can make a poster and decorate it with toothbrushes, teeth, oral health themes and healthy snacks to represent the days of the month. Then, every time they brush their teeth, give your child a gold star sticker to put on the poster.
 
Pediatric dental visits
Regular check-up is a very important aspect in keeping good dental hygiene for kids. Visit your child’s pediatric dentist every six months to help maintain your child’s sparkling smile. Make every dentist appointment fun by heading to the park for a picnic after the visit.

The sweetness and chewy texture of bubble gum can be irresistible for many kids. Aside from the sweet taste, blowing bubble adds to the fun element of it and that is what children love to do! However, parent must be concerned not only to the type of gum their kids chew, but also how often they do it.

Is Chewing Gum Good or Bad?
Bubble gum is usually made from gum base, artificial sweeteners, flavorings, colorings and softeners. It is only meant to be chewed and not swallowed. Gums cannot be digested by our bodies but that does not mean that it will stick to your intestine and block the food you eat and make you sick. Ever heard that story too?

Swallowing bubble gum won’t make you sick. It will just come through your body’s elimination system. But it’s best to spit it out when the flavour has gone or when you are through with it.

But when it comes to your child’s teeth, chewing gum has both positive and negative effects. Sweetened gums, like most bubble-producing products you see in the grocery, can cause dental caries by reacting with the bacteria that produce enamel-eroding acids. Gums sweetened with sugar can cause damage because it can get pressed against your kid’s teeth for long periods of time than candy.

Yet, chewing is good for your teeth. It promotes production of saliva that can help neutralize the acid causing tooth decay, while washing away food particle that got stuck around your gums and teeth. Acid can break down tooth enamel that creates the conditions for decay. Increase in saliva flow bring more phosphate and calcium to help strength your child’s teeth. Clinical studies have revealed that chewing sugarless gum following meals can help prevent tooth decay.

But these benefits cannot outweigh the disadvantages of chewing sugary gums. When they are chewing sugar-filled gums, they’re doing more harm to their teeth than good. If they keep chewing after it has lost its taste, it may be beneficial but it’s unlikely for kids to keep chewing flavorless gum when there’s fresh ones nearby.

Consider Sugar-free Gum
One option is sugar-free gum. Without the sugar, the bacteria in your child’s mouth will not produce enamel-eroding acid and the increase in saliva flow can help prevent cavities. Bad breath and dry mouth are often due to reduced saliva flow. Chewing sugar-free gum can help reduce the symptoms of bad breath and dry mouth.

There will be occasions when your child sneak for sugar-filled gums instead of xylitol gums. When this happens, explain to your child the danger of chewing sweetened gums and offer to exchange them for xylitol-sweetened gum. Another way to reduce the effects of chewing gum is by encouraging them to brush their teeth.

Mint Kids Dentistry’s top priority is bringing children and adolescents on the right path to dental health and proper oral hygiene. Dr. Soo Jun believes that early education will prepare kids to a lifetime of optimal dental health. Hence, she educates the importance of routine dental checkups and proper oral care.
 
Schedule an appointment as http://bellevuekidsdentistry.com/.
 

For adults, dental visit is a routine part of life, however, for kids, especially those who have never been, visiting a dentist seems scary and frightening. So what can you do as parents to help overcome their fears? Below are some tips that can help how to provide comfort to your child and make the visit a pleasant experience.

Talk to Your Child
It is important to discuss your child’s fear and anxiety not only to help him feel better but to understand the root cause of their fear. Maybe a friend shared a frightening experience or the child may have watched something distressing about dentists on television.

When talking about his fear, set a time when it is quiet and you are not distracted so you can concentrate. Let your child know that you recognize his fear and understand it. Share that you have also experienced such fear in that situation too. In this way, you are able to build trust with your child and so he will open up to you. Having a clear understanding of the issue, you’ll be able to deal with the underlying issues.

Talk to the Pediatric Dentist
It will be better if you talk about your child’s fear to his pediatric dentist before the appointment. Most dentists are able to cater to nervous patients by giving some toys or giving extra time beforehand to chat with your little one. Sometimes, it only takes a little preparation to make your child’s visit to the dentist more enjoyable.

Involve Other Family Members
The presence of a sibling or a parent can help comfort your child. As such, it’s better to schedule a dental appointment together with your child to show him that he is not alone. Kids usually like to imitate their older siblings and like to do things with them so allowing your child to watch his sister or brother on the dentist’s chair can provide him the confidence boost that he needs. So when it is his turn to sit in the chair, his sibling can cheer him up.

Be a Role Model
There are many ways to be a good role model for your child. One, you can take your child with you when you go for routine cleaning. Allow him to watch the entire process and explain to your child about the work of a dentist. Show to him that you are relaxed by smiling while you are getting examined. Show to your child that a trip to the dentist is painless. Another way to be a good role model is to practice proper oral hygiene and let your little one see you brushing and flossing every day while helping him engage in his own habits by cleaning his teeth daily.

Your child may not be comfortable to visit his dentist at first, but hopefully with these suggestion, you can ease his anxiety.

Mint Kids Dentistry’s top priority is bringing children and adolescents on the right path to dental health and proper oral hygiene. Dr. Soo Jun believes that early education will prepare kids to a lifetime of optimal dental health. Hence, she educates the importance of routine dental checkups and proper oral care.

Schedule an appointment as www.bellevuekidsdentistry.com.