Children’s Dental Health Month – Celebrating What Matters
The first Saturday in February was “International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.” February 8th celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America, referred to by Boy Scouts as Scouting’s Birthday. National Lost Penny Day comes around each 12th of February. February 26th is celebrated by devotees as “Tell a Fairy Tale Day.” It turns out, if you’re willing to do some checking, you can probably find a special day to celebrate on any day you want. But, the entire month of February has a special designation that you may not be aware of yet that can make a huge difference. February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.
Unlike some of the suggested February celebrations, National Children’s Dental Health Month is a celebration that can make a huge positive difference in your children’s health. Although we most closely associate February with the candy saturation that accompanies Valentine’s Day, we have a chance to shift the focus from an unhealthy habit and build tooth saving habits instead.
February may be almost over, but it’s not too late to get in on the fun. First and foremost, talk to the children in your life about the fun and benefits of taking great care of their teeth. Teaching proper dental care early sets up young people for a lifetime of success and better oral health. Making dental health conversations fun can help take fear of the dentist off the table and makes children more receptive to listening and more likely to follow through with building good habits.
This year’s theme for National Children’s Dental Health Month is “Brush and Clean In Between to Build a Healthy Smile.” You can find numerous activities at the ADA website to help engage children in dental health conversations and healthy habit building. In addition to downloading a printable poster or flyer with the 2019 theme on it, you can download a coloring sheet, crossword puzzle, and a maze for children to enjoy. There’s even a 4 week brushing chart that has spots for children to track their twice daily brushing by coloring a sun or moon for each day’s brushing. Resources for the month are available in Spanish as well at the ADA website.
Whether you’re a dentist who works with children, a teacher who has the chance to teach health and science matters, or a parent concerned about building healthy habits, take a minute to celebrate tooth health with your small people this month, and let them reap the benefits for a lifetime!
Don’t forget, CariFree has tooth gels that can work for children of all ages! Our CTx3 Gel is fluoride-free and can be used for brushing at any age, while our CTx4 Gel 1100 is recommended for ages 3 and up. Both come in flavors that kids love!