Practicing healthy dental habits during National Children’s Dental Health Month

WELL, FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL CHILDREN’S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH AND THE GOAL IS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY DENTAL HABITS EARLY IN LIFE. AS WVTM 13 S MYA CALEB FOUND OUT, STARTING YOUNG CAN PREVENT MORE SERIOUS DENTAL WORK FROM BEING NEEDED LATER ON. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, 23% OF CHILDREN AGES 2 TO 5 HAVE DEALT WITH SOME TYPE OF TOOTH DECAY. EXPERTS RECOMMEND BRINGING YOUR KIDS TO THE DENTIST AT A YOUNGER AGE TO PREVENT A NEED FOR FILLINGS OR OTHER DENTAL WORK LATER ON. BRINGING YOUR KIDS EARLY CAN ALSO HELP THEM GET USED TO BEING AT THE DENTIST, IN CASE THERE IS A NEED FOR DENTAL WORK. AT SOME POINT. HEALTHY HABITS GO BEYOND JUST BRUSHING YOUR TEETH AND FLOSSING, AS DIET CAN PLAY A BIG ROLE IN YOUR DENTAL HEALTH. DENTIST AND WHAT WE EAT AND DRINK, PARTICULARLY WHAT WE DRINK FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, IS HUGE. IF WE CAN START OUR CHILDREN OFF AVOIDING THE HIGH SUGAR BEVERAGES, THE JUICES, THE GATORADES, THE SODAS, THEN WE WILL WIND UP WITH CHILDREN. NOT JUST WITH HEALTHIER TEETH, BUT HONESTLY HEALTHIER BODIES. DENTAL HEALTH CAN ALSO BE TIED TO OTHER HEALTH ISSUES AS BACTERIA IN YOUR MOUTH CAN TRAVEL THROUGH YOUR BL

Practicing healthy dental habits during National Children’s Dental Health Month

25% of children ages 25 have experienced tooth decay

Updated: 11:48 AM CST Feb 17, 2025

According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 25% of children ages two to five have dealt with some type of tooth decay. Experts recommend bringing your kids to the dentist at a younger age to prevent a need for fillings or dental work later on. It’s also recommended to practice healthy habits such as brushing and flossing.”A lot of bacteria live kind of in between our teeth. And if we don’t take the floss in there and disrupt that, that bacteria, then it just stays there and can cause bleeding in the gums as well as if we’re feeding it a lot of sugar, it can eventually cause cavities in between the teeth,” said Stephen Mitchell, the director of the Sparks Dental Clinic. Those healthy habits go beyond basic dental hygiene.”Dentist and what we eat and drink, particularly what we drink for young children, is huge. If we can start our children off avoiding the high sugar beverages, the juices, the Gatorade, the sodas, then we will wind up with children not just with healthier teeth, but honestly healthier bodies,” said Mitchell.

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According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 25% of children ages two to five have dealt with some type of tooth decay.

Experts recommend bringing your kids to the dentist at a younger age to prevent a need for fillings or dental work later on.

It’s also recommended to practice healthy habits such as brushing and flossing.

“A lot of bacteria live kind of in between our teeth. And if we don’t take the floss in there and disrupt that, that bacteria, then it just stays there and can cause bleeding in the gums as well as if we’re feeding it a lot of sugar, it can eventually cause cavities in between the teeth,” said Stephen Mitchell, the director of the Sparks Dental Clinic.

Those healthy habits go beyond basic dental hygiene.

“Dentist and what we eat and drink, particularly what we drink for young children, is huge. If we can start our children off avoiding the high sugar beverages, the juices, the Gatorade, the sodas, then we will wind up with children not just with healthier teeth, but honestly healthier bodies,” said Mitchell.

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