Caring for your child’s smile from a young age helps keep their smile healthy into adulthood. While teaching them good oral health habits like brushing twice daily and flossing is beneficial, it’s also important to break their unhealthy habits. These may seem harmless, but over time, they can cause tooth decay and other oral health issues. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common oral health habits children should break for a healthier smile:
- Thumb sucking and pacifier use: While these are common self-soothing habits for children to have, they can cause dental problems when continued for too long. After a prolonged period, their teeth can begin to shift and the roof of their mouth can change shape. Weaning them off by age four can help prevent these issues.
- Nail biting and object chewing: Habits like nail biting or even pen chewing are a sure way for your child to chip their tooth or get an infection. Identifying the cause of this habit, whether it’s anxiety or boredom, and offering alternatives, like fidget toys, can help break this habit.
- Teeth grinding: A lot of children develop the habit of teeth grinding or clenching their jaw — this is known as bruxism. When this continues over time, it can begin to wear down the teeth and cause jaw pain. It’s important to identify the cause of this habit and take the right precautionary steps to prevent any damage from happening. This may include getting your child a nightguard to protect their teeth from wearing down at night.
- Using teeth as tools: As adults, we may find ourselves using our teeth to try and open something difficult. The same can be said for younger children when it comes to opening things like toys. It’s important to break this habit to protect their teeth (and yours!) from potentially breaking or chipping.
Other unhealthy habits to break include not wearing a mouthguard while playing sports, eating sugary foods, and mouth breathing at night. These can all cause oral health problems for your child in the long run if ignored. Wondering how to break some of these habits? Talk to your child’s dentist about tips, tricks and even alternatives. We are always here to help!
