Celebrate National Children’s Dental Heath Month with WOW CUP

February 13, 2024

Did you know February is the National Children’s Dental Health Month? A healthy smile not only boosts child’s self-confidence but it also sets a healthy habit for their life. One of the often-overlooked aspects of dental hygiene is what children drink and which drinkware they use. Let’s explore some tips and tricks to keep your little one’s smile bright and healthy.

Why is Dental Health in Children Important?

It isn’t all about a bright smile. Dental health is essential for the overall health and development of a child. Poor oral habits in children can lead to various problems from cavities, which are the most common children chronic disease of childhood in the US, and to gum disease and even systemic health problems. Also, establishing good dental habits in the early years is the key to a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

Choosing the right beverage

The beverage your children consume can significantly impact their dental health. Sugary drinks like sodas, fruit juices or flavored milk can contribute to tooth decay, especially when your children sip the sugary beverages throughout the day. The primary choice of beverage should be water. Not only does it hydrate effectively but regarding dental hygiene, it also helps to wash away food debris, unwanted sugar and acid in the mouth. So, if you offer your little one a little bit of juice from time to time, make sure to not put it into the sippy cup or kids bottles so the teeth are not in contact with a sugary drink for an extended time. Or, after they drink their juice, make sure they drink water to additionally hydrate and cleanse their teeth from sugar film.

The Role of Drinkware

The sippy cups give children flexibility and power of controlling how much and when they drink and for parents, it’s a mess-free and worry-free option. What might not be evident when choosing the sippy cup is that it also affects oral development and dental health. Spouted sippy cups can cause your children to swallow incorrectly because the tongue remains on the bottom of the mouth which is not the proper mechanism of swallowing.

By emphasizing an incorrect swallowing mechanism, a spouted sippy cup could pose a challenge to the child’s natural swallowing process.  It can lead to dental issues like tongue thrusting, which can result in crooked teeth and speech-related issued in the future.

WOW CUPs with their spoutless 360 drinking edge are dentist-recommended and they assist the child to use more movement and control from their jaw, tongue, lips, and cheeks. All those additional movements help to contribute to strengthening oral and tongue muscles, support healthy oral development and healthy dental alignment.

Practicing Proper Oral Hygiene

In addition to monitoring the beverage choices and the right selection of a kids cup, it is crucial to establish solid oral hygiene for your child. Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend wiping baby’s gums after each meal. They also suggest avoiding putting babies to bed with a bottle. When the first teeth show up, start brushing them with a small soft baby toothbrush and water.

When your children is a little older, brush their teeth twice a day with dentist recommended toothpaste, and help them brush their teeth until they have good brushing skills. And, last but not least, be a role model and show your little one it is normal to brush your teeth twice a day.

Regular Dental Check-ups

Don’t forget to schedule the first dentist appointment by your baby’s first birthday to spot signs of problems because those tiny teeth matter too! Then you should see your child’s dentist approximately every half a year.

When it comes to the oral health of little ones, at WOW CUP, we believe in a healthy approach to dental care. It’s not only crucial to set healthy habits such as brushing the teeth, regular dentist visit, but it is also important to avoid sugary drink and choose healthy food with plenty of vegetable and fruits. It is also important to choose the right sippy cup that will contribute to the health oral development.

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