February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. This month aims to raise awareness about the importance of oral health to children, their caregivers, teachers, and many others. According to the ADA website, National Children’s Dental Health Month began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 3, 1941. The first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day was held on February 8, 1949. After this, it became a week-long event in 1955. Finally in 1981, the program was extended to a month-long observance known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month. The observance has since grown from a two-city event into a nationwide program.
This month’s theme is “Brush, Floss, Smile.” It’s just as important to take care of baby teeth as it is to take care of adult teeth. Teaching your child good dental habits from an early age can help them develop a lifetime of good oral health. Having your child brush twice a day and floss at least once a day is important to keep those smiles healthy! The ADA has provided plenty of activity sheets to help make learning about good oral habits fun:
- Sealants Make Sense
- Water Nature’s Drink
- Fluoride in water prevents cavities!
- Smile Builders
- The Tooth Team
- Choose Tap Water
- SugarSwatter Explorers
- Defeat Monster Mouth
- Super Smile Team
- Get a Gold Medal Smile
- Rock Your Smile
- A Healthy Smile? It’s Easy to Find!
Our dentists love getting to help teach your children the proper way to care for their teeth and getting them interested in learning good oral habits. Here’s what one of our pediatric specialists had to say about his love of caring for kids:
“Some of my favorite appointments involve our first-time patients. It is a privilege to be the first dental provider for the smaller/younger children and to get to help educate the parent and establish a dental home. It is also so rewarding to be able to experience a “breakthrough” success for one of our special needs patients who was able to sit in the chair for the first time and allowed us to fully brush their teeth. Sometimes it can be a challenge to be the provider for a patient that has been referred for treatment or who has had another bad experience in the past. The parent is convinced these young patients have been traumatized, yet, we are able to get them in the chair, complete the filling or extraction without any incident and the child does great and says they want to come back. These appointments are priceless.” —Dr. Daren Peace, Dixie Highway Location
Schedule your child’s appointment with us today to start their oral health journey off right!
