Raising children can sometimes feel like a constant battle. You’re trying to make sure they’re doing their homework. You want to make sure they eat their vegetables. You’re teaching them to be kind to others. Let’s face it: taking care of your child requires constant care and vigilance to make sure they make the right decisions.
With so much teaching and training going on during the day, it’s easy to forget that kids need to brush their teeth before bed. Even though it’s tempting for children to skip this nightly ritual, it’s vital to instruct children that brushing teeth after dinner or before bed is a necessary habit to build. But, why is it so important?
To Remove Food Particles That Have Accumulated
Your child likely hasn’t brushed their teeth since before they left for school (don’t forget, they should be brushing for two minutes, twice a day!). Since then, they’ve had lunch, dinner, and countless snacks. This means that they’ve likely had food particles embed themselves into their teeth and gums. Without brushing them away at night at night, these particles can cause long-term problems, like inflammation, infection, and halitosis.
To Avoid The Buildup Of Plaque
When your child doesn’t brush before bed, they allow the bacteria, sugars, and food remnants to fester in their mouth overnight. This residue can become plaque, which is the film that develops on your teeth when they aren’t cleaned properly. Over time, plaque can harden and become tartar, which can only be cleaned with tools found at the dentist’s office. The more your child forgets to brush at night, the more tartar buildup will accumulate. This whole process starts from simply neglecting to brush teeth after dinner or before bed.
Because Your Mouth Isn’t Producing Much Saliva
Did you know that your mouth doesn’t produce saliva at the same rate as it does when you are awake? As your body rests, most of the functions of the body rest as well, including the creation of saliva. During the day, saliva naturally washes away a great deal of the bacteria that attempts to cause havoc with your child’s teeth and gums. At night, your body loses this vital defense, which makes brushing teeth before bed a necessity.
Children’s Dentistry Can Help Your Child
At Children’s Dentistry of Greater Las Vegas, we can help you assist your child in building a lifelong habit of good oral care. Along with daily brushing and flossing, make sure you’re scheduling your child’s dental cleanings every six months. Together, we can help make sure your child has a beautiful, long-lasting smile!
Children’s Dentistry has 10 convenient locations in the Las Vegas area, which means there’s always an office close by. We’re even open on Saturday! All of our offices accept most forms of dental insurance, including Medicaid. Still have questions? Give us a call at (702) 832-0508 or send us a message.