Summer is here, and your family’s schedule is crazy busy. For many people, that means healthy diets and good oral hygiene habits go out the window. And with all this extra activity, there may even be a dental emergency or two.
Here are a few oral health tips for summer that will help you protect the children and their developing teeth from long-term injury and avoidable mishaps.
1. Keep Up With Oral Hygiene
Brushing twice a day and flossing daily is as important in the summer as it is during school months. But with vacations, camp and lots of days spent at the pool, don’t be surprised if you often need to remind your kids to brush and floss.
Now is a great time to buy new toothbrushes to replace the old, worn out or “germy ” ones. In fact, you should stock up on extra brushes, as well as travel-sized toothpaste and floss for those summer journeys and days out.
2. Schedule Those Checkups
Parents tend to schedule dental checkups in August, right before class starts. But to prevent dental problems over the summer, we encourage parents to schedule appointment right after school ends. Doing this will ensure that children will have a clean bill of dental health for summer. The last thing you want is a child suffering from a toothache while away on summer vacation or at camp.
3. Prevent Dental Emergencies
It wouldn’t be summertime without a lot of swimming, bike riding, and other playground activities. And while these are great fun, they can unfortunately result in a dental trauma. Parents can be prepared for the worst by following this advice:
Make sure your children follow the “pool rules .” According to the Academy of General Dentistry, many of the summer oral injuries dentists treat are due to a pool collision. Running and playing on slippery pool decks, diving into shallow waters or bumping the pool ridge causes many children to either chip or knock a tooth loose.
Pack an emergency dental care kit to take along for vacation. Essentials for this kit, according to the AGD, are a handkerchief, gauze, a small container with a lid, ibuprofen and contact information for THE SCIENCE OF SMILES®.
Summer can really throw your routine for a loop. But by following these oral health tips for summertime, your children can start the school year with great oral hygiene.