February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
Show some big love for little teeth with helpful resources for parents and caregivers
National Children’s Dental Health Month this February! Even though baby teeth eventually fall out, it’s still very important to keep them healthy.
Baby teeth help kids chew, talk, and smile. They hold the space in the jaws for permanent teeth that are growing under the gums.
Decayed teeth can affect a child’s self-esteem, and pain from toothaches can keep them home from school.
Dental cavities, also known as tooth decay, is still the single most common chronic childhood disease in the United States.
Fortunately, tooth decay is preventable!
Show some love for little teeth the February by helping kids develop good dental health habits at an early age! Here are three things parents and caregivers can do…
#1 Get It From The Tap
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the community water fluoridation program in the U.S. Fluoride is a naturally occurring element in water. Fluoridation is the process of adjusting the amount of fluoride found in water to achieve the best prevention of tooth decay.
Fluoride in water helps prevent cavities so if your community has fluoridated water, make sure to have the kids in your life get water from the tap!
#2 Follow the 2-2-2 Rule
The dental care team recommends all children see a dentist before their first birthday. And all children should see a dentist TWO times a year and brush with a fluoride toothpaste TWO times a day for TWO minutes!
Need help finding affordable dental care? We can help! Harbor Health offers dental services at all of our locations. We accept MassHealth and can help parents and caregivers apply for insurance.
We also have a sliding scale of fees to make sure everyone can get the care they need.
#3 Be a Role Model for Oral Health
Make sure to brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day and floss once a day. If the kids in your life see you doing it, they are much more likely to follow the same healthy habits.
You can also download the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness’s oral health tips for families:
- English [PDF, 76KB]
- Spanish (español)[PDF, 72KB]
- Vietnamese (tiếng Việt)[PDF, 180KB]