Moms Talk: Dental Care

Confidence behind a smile is impossible to fake. If a child's teeth are well taken care of, that confidence will come much easier.

Maintaining a full, healthy set of teeth can require a little hounding. But, once good dental habits are acquired, they can last a lifetime. Hopefully your child's teeth will too.

Try these tips for getting kids to practice better dental hygiene:

• Electric toothbrush - studies show that electric toothbrushes are more effective than regular ones. Also, they have a timer which indicates when the brusher has reached the two minute mark--the amount of time dentists recommend brushing teeth. There are some specifically designed for use by children.

• Timer - if an electric toothbrush isn't in the budget, a two minute timer can be used to keep kids brushing for longer.

• Ask the dentist - if your child is not doing an adequate job at keeping teeth clean, ask your dentist to give a demonstration on a model. Many dentists do this without being asked, but if yours doesn't, don't be afraid to request this service. Sometimes kids are more likely to listen when the news is coming from a professional, or anyone who isn't their parent.

• Talk to them about adult teeth. Point out people in your life who may not have taken proper care of their teeth and help them make the connection between what they do now and what it will mean for them in the future.

If your children do not already have a pediatric dentist, consider the following family friendly practitioners:

• Allison Jackson, DDS
• Soquel Dental Office
• Dave Montgomery, DDS