Each February, the American Dental Association observes and promotes National Children's Dental Health Month. To kick off this very important health observance, we're going to dedicate this week's blog posts to sharing a few ways you can get involved and make the most of it to improve your family's oral health. We'll also help spread the message of National Children's Dental Health Month by sharing information throughout this month about dentistry for kids, dental facts about kids' oral health, and the history of NCDHM.
The great news is that it's easy for those of you reading our posts at home to participate too. Here are three simple things you can do this month to help the ADA's mission:
Teach Your Kid's Something About Oral Health and Why It's So Important. One of your biggest roles as a parent is to be your child's teacher. We often tell ourselves that we need to take time out to teach our kid this or that, but the truth is that life moves fast and we don't always fulfill that promise to ourselves. That's one of the big reasons we have health observances; it gives us a chance to take a moment and focus on a particular aspect of our health. This month is an important one because taking a moment to watch how your kid brushes, or to sit them down and explain what tooth decay really is and what causes it can set them up for a lifetime of healthy choices. Utilize resources at your dentist's office, teach your child something from one of our blog posts, or look on the ADA's website for some important facts to share with them, but really take a moment this month to show your child you care about how they take care of their teeth.
Download and Print off the 2015 ADA NCDHM Activity Sheets. One of the services the ADA provides during NCDHM is creating a set of activity sheets you can download and print off for your child to get creative with. The sheets include a story that follows the year's theme, pages to color, and many activities that teach your child while they have fun.
Download the activity sheets here.
Reinforce Good Oral Health Behaviors. One of the most basic facts about human beings is that they respond to incentives. Giving children small incentives to develop and adopt good habits can save them a lot of pain in the future by teaching them the right thing to do now—especially when it comes to their oral health. This month, reward your kid for doing something like flossing each day, or brushing twice each day, or preferably both. Take him or her out for pizza and arcade games or a movie if they “earn enough stars” or put a check on the calendar for each day of the month they did what they were supposed to. It's a great excuse for a date with your kid, but it's also an important opportunity to take a moment and focus your time on helping them learn the right way to take care of their mouths.
Thanks for Reading!
We appreciate you stopping by to read our blog. We hope these tips help you get NCDHM off on the right foot and get involved, even if it's something small. If you're looking for even more activities, head on over to the ADA's site and look at what they've put together for this February.
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