7 Essential Tips for Children's Oral Hygiene in 2025

As a parent, you can be hyper-obsessed with your children's health.

But this comes with a fair share of challenges. Excessive screen exposure, handling tantrums, picky eating, bedtime problems, and so on. The list is never-ending.

Amidst all the chaos, one thing that can be easily overlooked is their oral health. The definition of good oral health is more than ‘a healthy smile’. According to oral health experts, it affects your child's overall well-being in the long run, defining both their physical and mental health.

Oral problems in children are more common than you think. According to the Global Oral Health Statistics by WHO, caries affect primary teeth in 514 million children. The number is huge and requires timely action.

Prioritizing children's oral health is essential for lifelong well-being. Dr. Olga Dolghier, DMD, a board-certified pediatric dentist with over 15 years of experience, specializes in treating and educating parents on preventing common dental issues.

Good Oral Hygiene in Children - What the Hype is About? 

Maintaining good dental health in children is a big deal because of the following reasons:

• Good habits work in the long run, setting a foundation for healthy teeth and gums in the future.
• This supports the overall well-being of the children
• It helps to avoid physical discomfort because of bad teeth. 
• A healthy smile gives your child confidence.
• It reduces costs for expensive dental treatments in children.
• It helps to overcome speech problems and feeding difficulties.
• This limits the chances of going through painful dental procedures

• Good oral practices reduce the chances of suffering from cavities, gum disease, tooth decay, etc.

  The latest research in pediatric dentistry is focused on providing age-appropriate dental care. It will help in the prevention and management of oral health problems. Early-stage treatment will also lessen the burden of untreated conditions.

  The following are the best oral care tips for young children and teenagers.

  The first thing that can help prevent bad teeth in children is to ensure regular brushing twice daily. But when can you start cleaning their teeth?

  According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, you can start cleaning soon after a baby's first tooth eruption. Even before that, cleaning infants' gums with a soft cloth twice a day is important to prevent germs.

  Once your baby gets his first teeth, you can start cleaning them using a soft finger brush made of health-grade silicone. Once they turn 1 year old, you can help them clean their teeth using a soft brush with an ergonomic handle.

  Kids should start using toothpaste on brushes at the age of 2. However, they need supervision while brushing before they learn the proper technique.

  You can also make brushing a part of the family routine as it improves children's oral health.

  Just like brushing, flossing is an important practice to keep teeth healthy. However, children may take some time to learn the technique. Before they can floss their teeth, you can floss for them.

  Flossing can start as early as they get two consecutive teeth. You can begin with special children's floss available in various colours and flavours to spark interest.

  The next big thing is to add fluoride to the children's routine. It is an important mineral that boosts the overall dental health. It helps to remineralize the tooth surface, leading to stronger teeth.

  According to the CDC, fluoride in drinking water reduces dental caries' prevalence in children and adults. A good practice is to use fluoride toothpaste to boost oral health.

  You can also choose fluoride-rich foods for your kids to help them get the necessary minerals. These include canned fish, grapes, oatmeal, raisins, etc.

  Common children's health issues arise from the intake of too much sugar via drinks or snacks. Other than the teeth, it also affects the body's metabolism and increases the risk of obesity. So, limit your child's sugar intake.

  Sometimes, chewing on hard food objects also physically damage the teeth. Thus, oral health experts recommend keeping food's texture in mind while giving it to kids.

  Dental sealants are an effective way to promote healthy teeth in children. Sealants are small plastic coatings that usually cover the back teeth in the mouth.

  The protective coating helps to shield the teeth surface avoiding chances for dental caries. According to the American Dental Association, children should get these sealants between 6-14 years of age.

  Children who are habitual of thumbsucking or into pacifiers for extended periods are prone to develop oral health problems. These children can specifically develop teeth alignment issues such as crossbite, underbite, etc. It also leads to potential chewing and speaking difficulties. Many babies are born with tongue and lip ties, which can lead to overbites, crossbites, and alignment issues by restricting tongue and jaw movement.

  Ensuring your child isn't using a pacifier for a long time is important. Also, if the thumb-sucking habits persist, it is important to work with pediatric oral health experts to break the pattern.

• Regular dental visits are important to identify potential problems regardless of age. This is a helpful approach to prevent most of these problems. Also, your dentist can suggest a management plan if your child suffers from such issues.
• Schedule your baby's first visit when they turn a year old. After that, you should regularly take them to the dentist every 6 months.

• Oral health problems are quite common in children. From cavities to tooth decay, children tend to suffer from these issues. If it remains untreated, the bad teeth problem can affect your child's overall wellbeing.

  As a parent, you must take all the preventive measures to keep your kids' teeth strong. You can try all these activities and add fun elements to each of them. Also, don't forget to see their dentist twice a year.