Ensuring that your children have clean and healthy teeth is something that is on every parent's mind. Maintaining a regular oral care routine will enable them to grow up with fresh breath and healthy gums and encourage them to continue this into their adult life. Nobody wants their child to have to visit a kids dentist for cosmetic reasons at such an early age, and so this guide will offer some simple tips to help reduce damage to your child's tooth enamel and teach them about taking responsibility for their own oral care so they grow up fit and healthy.

Copy Sweden

Swedes have got the right idea when it comes to oral care and eating all things in moderation. They even have a word for it, 'lagom', which roughly translates as not too much, not too little, but just right. They take this approach when eating sweet sugary snacks in order to reduce the likelihood of sugar-related illnesses such as gingivitis by limiting their intake of candy to the weekend, most commonly a Saturday. This works well for kids, as it controls their insulin levels and therefore reduces the chance of obesity, limits damage caused by bacterial growth on the enamel of the tooth, and teaches the children about moderation and self-discipline. Try this with your own childre,n and use it as a reward for brushing their teeth every day.

Homemade Toothpaste

Kids teeth aren't as strong as an adults are, so it's important to treat them with care. Many child's toothpastes and mouthwashes are mild in flavour to encourage kids to use them, however you can never be sure which ingredients are doing more harm than good. If this concerns you or you'd like to lead a more organic-based lifestyle, try making your own toothpaste. There are plenty of recipes online, yet most will have a few key ingredients. Coconut oil usually forms the base of the mixture because it remains solid at room temperature; this makes it easy to apply and mix with other ingredients. It also has a low melting point and so becomes a liquid in the mouth, which helps it to move around and coat the teeth. Coconut oil also has many great properties, such as the ability to kill bacteria, microbes and fungus. This makes it a great toothpaste alternative before you've even added any natural flavourings or abrasives such as bicarbonate of soda.