Caring for your dental health (and the dental health of your children too, of course) is something that’s hugely important from the very beginnings of life. In fact, you should begin dental care as soon as your baby sprouts a tooth bud which, while usually closer to toddlerhood and that first year, can happen after only just a few months of life as well. However, caring for infant teeth is different than caring for adult teeth, as all that these tiny teeth require is to be wiped down with a wet and warm wash rag. As your child gets older, toddler safe toothpaste and toddler toothbrushes can also be introduced, but it’s important to avoid toothpaste with any fluoride in it until your child reaches the age of two.

Ideally, your child will learn to brush their teeth relatively quickly. However, it is typically recommended by dentists around the country that parents assist children in the brushing of teeth until they at least reach the age of four, if not to the age of five. After this, teeth brushing can become a much more independent activity for your children, though it will still be important to closely supervise them until they are around seven or eight years of age, according to the professional opinions of dentists throughout the country.

Of course, brushing is important for adults as well. Typically it is recommended to brush twice a day, including right when you get up in the morning, before you eat or drink anything besides water. This is due to the fact that brushing right away can actually help to provide some initial protection for your teeth against foods with corrosive qualities, such as citrus juices or coffee.

Teaching your children good brushing habits is a must, of course, but they should also be seeing a dentist throughout the year as well, starting from their second birthday onwards. Regular dentists visits, at least twice a year, can help to prevent issues like cavities. Unfortunately, however, cavities are already prevalent in a large population of children here in the United States. It has even been estimated, as a matter of fact, that nearly half of all children have had at least one cavity by the time that they enter into kindergarten – and some will already have had a great many, all things considering.

Children, of course, also tend to be quite prone to injury and sometimes the injuries that they sustain impact their overall dental health. The data that has been gathered on this subject more than back up this claim, showing that up to 39% all dental injuries seen in children and treated by family dentists at family dental practices are actually caused by sports injuries. From football to soccer to baseball and beyond, there are many ways that children can injure themselves when playing any given sport, especially when they are first learning how to play and getting a feel for it. In many cases, however, dentists in your area will be able to fix the problem, provided that prompt dental care is provided for the child in question.

And having a healthy and nice looking smile is hugely important to many people for a number of different reasons, especially in places like the United States. For instance, more than 95% of all people over the age of 18 here in the United States (around 96% of them, if you’re looking to be just a little bit more exact) actually have said that an attractive smile can make one more appealing to the attractive sex, making healthy and good looking smiles ideal for making the best romantic connections possible.

The quality of your smile can even effect your professional life according to many people here in the United States. It’s a feature, after all, that can convey a certain sense of professionalism. It can express emotion too, something that is hugely important in so many aspects of your life. And from the standpoint of usefulness, all dentists providing emergency dental care will agree that your smile and your mouth as a whole is a hugely important thing.