When considering the cost of dental care for their children, most parents don’t know what to plan for. Depending on what kind of work your child needs, some of the dental procedures could put a strain on your budget. 

Let’s take a look at a few tips that will help you minimize your kids’ dental costs and keep your budget happy.

Encourage Proper Preventive Care

It’s imperative that you convince your teens, tweens and little ones to take care of their teeth as well as they can. If your kids perform routine oral care on their teeth each morning and night, they’ll reap the rewards of having healthy teeth, which means fewer dollars spent on filling cavities and addressing other oral health problems. 

Be sure to remind your kids to wear their retainers, if they have them, as this helps keep their teeth from shifting out of place and negating all the work their braces did. You also should help your kids with their brushing technique — they should know exactly how to brush their teeth, gums and tongue. Make sure they understand that a constant left-to-right motion has the potential to wear away at tooth enamel that could eventually result in costly problems down the road. Show them that short, circular motions are best for brushing teeth.

Invest in a Mouth Guard

You can prevent some very painful (and costly) injuries to your kids’ teeth and gums by reinforcing the importance of wearing a mouth guard when playing sports. A custom guard is cheap when compared to the cost of dental work required to repair chipped, broken or dislodged teeth.

Choose a Healthy Diet 

Get your kids into the habit of eating healthy, fresh foods instead of the processed foods that do nothing for oral health. “Fresh” doesn’t mean fruits and vegetables all the time. There are plenty of different types of food that can remineralize teeth. Something as tasty as cheese has the ability to fight tooth decay. 

Incorporate sugar-free gum with xylitol into your children’s after-meal routine to further reduce bacteria and food particles from harming their sensitive teeth.

Stick to Water 

Too many kids reach for juice, soda, or unhealthy sports drinks when they’re thirsty. Get your child into the habit of drinking water and you will spend less on dental care. By cutting out the sugary sports drinks and juices, your child’s teeth will suffer less enamel wear and general decay. If necessary, stock up on bottled water and keep it by the door for your kids to grab on the way out of the house. 

Wright Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is Accepting new Patients

If you are looking for a new dentist, Wright Smiles Pediatric Dentistry is here for you. Reach out to us anytime to learn about our dental services and how to schedule an appointment. 

We are looking forward to meeting you and your family! Schedule a preliminary visit to meet the staff, tour the facility and let us show you what we’re really all about. Our goal is to customize treatment to your child’s unique needs so that he or she doesn’t dread going to the dentist.