The Importance of Back-to-School Dental Exams

It’s not long before it’s back to school for your young ones. Typical back-to-school duties include shopping for school supplies and uniforms. Add to the duties list by including a dental visit.

Learn why back-to-school dental care is important before school is back in session. The benefits serve both you and your child.

Benefits of Back-to-School Dental Visits

Here are some advantages of scheduling dental care prior to the start of school.

1. Ensures Healthy Post-Summer Teeth

A late summer dental exam ensures your child is in good dental health before returning to the classroom. During the summer, children may incur habits that aren’t optimal for dental health. This includes consuming more sweets like lemonade, popsicles, apple pie, etc.

In addition, they may also pass the time playing outdoor sports. This invites the risk of injury from physical trauma to the mouth. A dental exam ensures early signs of cavities and dental caries are addressed and fixed before school resumes.

2. Prevents Missed School Days

It’s not easy to schedule a dental exam on the weekends unless it’s scheduled months in advance. Therefore, you may have to schedule on a weekday. If your child is already in school, then he/she may have to miss a day.

Since some procedures require several follow-up visits, your child may end up missing several days of school here and there. Prevent this altogether by making an appointment while there’s still ample time in the summer.

3. Better Focus in the Classroom

Students in the classroom should be focused on math, language arts, etc. If a dental issue like a cavity or root canal were to arise, it can create discomfort during class. This can prevent your child from focusing on the teacher’s instructions and lead to diminished performance.

As parents and teachers can attest, young children can have enough difficulty focusing as it is. A preventable dental issue will make it even more difficult to concentrate.

There is research into the correlation between dental caries and poor grades. A 2018 meta-analysis revealed that students with one or more dental caries were more likely to underperform in school as well as have poorer school attendance.

See also: When Should Children Begin to See the Dentist?

Back-to-School Dental Routine

With your kids returning to school soon, it’s a good idea to modify their brushing routine to accommodate their school schedule. Here are some back-to-school dental hygiene habits to consider.

Establish a Morning Routine

A morning brushing routine on a school day may include something like the following:

1. 6:30 – wake-up, dental hygiene
2. 6:45 – breakfast
3. 7:00 – get dressed
4. 7:15 – head out for school

Consider beginning this routine at least a week before the start of school to get your children acclimated.

Establish a Nighttime Routine

Just as you should have a morning routine, you should do the same before bed-time on a school day. It should look like the following:

1. 7:00 – dinner
2. 7:30 – homework/study
3. 8:30 – dental hygiene: brushing, flossing, and rinsing
4. 9:00 – bedtime

Establish a School-Time Routine

Your child will eat lunch at school. There’s still roughly 1.5 to two hours of school after lunch. This is plenty of time for food remnants to remain in the mouth and for bad oral bacteria to feed off of.

Instruct your children to go to the bathroom and rinse their mouths vigorously after lunch. You can’t supervise your children here, but regularly ask them if they are doing this.

See also: Easing Your Child’s Fear of the Dentist

Schedule a Pediatric Dental Exam Before School Resumes

Make an appointment with Dr. Maestri, your dentist in Lafayette, LA. At Maestri Dental, we have a wealth of experience treating children. Let us focus on your children’s oral health, so your children can focus squarely on their academics.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/babies-and-kids/questions-for-school-dental-exam