For kids, summer vacation is the best time of the year. But for parents, summer is when the family’s schedule turns on its head. With all this extra activity and excitement, it can be difficult to get your kids to eat right and maintain good oral hygiene.

To help you out, we’ve compiled some summer oral health tips that will help you protect your kids’ developing teeth from potential damage.

Keep your kitchen stocked with healthy food

Summertime is often filled with foods that taste delicious, but aren’t the best for us. In fact, the average person in the U.S. will eat at least one burger a week.

The good news is that summer also comes with the availability of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. By stocking your fridge and cupboards with healthy fruits and veggies that are ready to grab, you can help your kids swap out sugary, acidic foods for healthier options.

Make an activity out of healthy eating

There are a lot of summer activities that include healthy eating. For instance, there were 11.6 million kids who went fishing in 2017.

Fish is not only good for your teeth but it’s also an incredibly healthy protein that’s filled with omega-3s. Just be sure that if you and your kids do go fishing this summer that you’re doing it in an area that allows fishing; one in six people in the U.S. gets sick from eating contaminated food every year.

Other food-related activities that can be fun to do with the kids aside from fishing includes strawberry picking, blackberry picking, cherry picking, and apple picking.

Keep up with your kids’ oral hygiene

The school year creates a schedule for your kids. They know to brush their teeth in the morning and later at night. But with summer vacation, traveling, camp days, and lots of time spent around the pool and at the beach, you’ll need to remind your kids to brush and floss.

Kids who have cavities in their baby teeth are more likely to experience tooth decay as they get older. Tooth decay can not only impact your child’s health but it can also impact their career path. According to an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey, up to 74% of adults said they think an unattractive smile can hurt them professionally.

That said, summer is a great time to stock up on new toothbrushes and travel toothpastes so your kids can brush their teeth wherever they go. It’s also important to remember that kids still need to be supervised when they brush their teeth up until they’ve reached the age of nine to ensure they’re using the right technique.

The summer season is filled with a lot of exciting activity. It’s also filled with a lot of sugary and acidic foods that can have a major impact on your kids’ teeth. By stocking your fridge with healthy fruits and veggies, making fun activities out of finding healthy foods, and making sure your kids keep up with their oral hygiene, you can protect your kids’ teeth from potential damage.

Keywords:

fun dental tips, summer dental pictures, summer hygiene, dental tips 2018, dental safety tips, how to keep your mouth healthy, summer dental.