Linda – The Probiotics Tooth Fairy

Through all the changes that the season of summer brings to families, one thing must remain a top, daily priority – good oral hygiene.

They’re back! ~ G.I. Joe, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, The Electric Company and a host of other characters that played a major role in parents’ childhoods are making a big comeback.

This explains why different children in the same family with the same eating and brushing habits can have different levels of oral health – even a slight imbalance in oral bacteria can cause more tooth decay.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that flossing begin as your child’s first baby teeth come in. Flossing becomes especially important if any of your child’s teeth are touching the teeth next to them, or if they have any baby teeth that overlap.

The researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry hypothesized that raisins contain antimicrobial phytochemicals capable of suppressing oral microbes associated with cavities or periodontal diseases and actually benefit oral health.

If you’re a visual learner, you might enjoy this video explaining the process of how a tooth becomes decayed. This video shows the areas of the teeth most often subject to decay, as well as how to help protect teeth from decay.

The easiest way to clean a baby’s new teeth is to place a small amount of fluoride-free baby tooth gel on a damp wash cloth, wrap the cloth around your finger and gently wipe the exposed surfaces of the teeth. This activity gets babies used to tooth brushing, and helps protect teeth from premature decay. Fluoride-free toothpastes and gels are recommended because babies cannot spit out the paste, and fluoride should not be swallowed.

Kids’ Video of the Popular Lah-Lah’s Big Live Band. Teaching kids to brush their teeth just got a little more fun! Check out this great video of Lah-Lah’s Big Live Band called “Brush Your Teeth.” The song is so catchy, your kids will be dancing while they brush!

Parents of children with special needs often find themselves brushing their childrens’ teeth at an age when most kids can handle this seemingly simple twice-daily task. Not only do parents know how important good oral care is for their kids, they know that investing the time up-front with brushing is much more time- and cost-efficient than time spent in the dentist’s chair.

Having kids hum the “ABCs” twice is a great way to help them gauge how long they need to brush. Songs about tooth brushing – like this fun video – can also help kids feel more excited about brushing.