Summer Dental Tips to Keep Kids’ Teeth Healthy

Whether you’re staying home or traveling from Houston, summer is the perfect time to enjoy vacations, backyard barbecues, frozen treats, and outdoor adventures. It's also an important season for protecting your child’s oral health. Changes in routine, increased consumption of sugary snacks and drinks, and busy summer schedules can all impact your child’s teeth if you're not careful. At Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry, we encourage families to keep healthy dental habits on track all summer long to help prevent cavities and keep growing smiles healthy. By practicing healthy oral habits throughout the season, you can help protect your teeth and gums while enjoying everything summer has to offer. 

Continue reading to discover simple yet effective ways to maintain a healthy, confident smile all summer long.

Summer Dental Tips Begin with Anchoring Healthy Habits (Even on Vacation)

With summer's relaxed schedule, it’s easy to forget daily routines, especially when vacationing. Make brushing and flossing a fun part of the day by setting daily reminders on your phone. Try anchoring tooth brushing to an activity already anchored on the schedule, such as breakfast. As soon as breakfast is over, remind children to brush their teeth to help keep the healthy habit on the daily schedule. 

Have your child brush twice a day for two minutes each time and floss once daily. Brushing to a favorite song or turning brushing time into a game may help your children stick with this healthy habit. Maintaining this routine will help prevent cavities and keep their smiles bright. 

Help Kids Stay Hydrated

Another summer dental tip is helping children to stay hydrated.. Not only does water keep them hydrated, but it also helps flush out food debris and bacteria and fosters good oral hygiene. Encourage your children to choose water as their primary drink rather than sugary beverages, which can cause cavities.

Another benefit of drinking water is that it fights dry mouth. When the mouth doesn’t produce enough saliva, plaque builds up, leading to dry mouth, or xerostomia. Staying hydrated by drinking water stimulates saliva production, providing the mouth with the minerals it needs to remain healthy.

Teach Children to Rinse After Summer Treats

For many, summertime means enjoying cold beverages and treats like sweet tea, soda, ice cream, snow cones, and popsicles. Unfortunately, these high-sugar treats can seriously harm your teeth. Sugar feeds bacteria in the mouth, leading to plaque buildup. Rinsing your mouth with water can help reduce bacteria and lower the risk of tooth decay, especially if you don't have time to brush.

How to Rinse Effectively: 

• Take a mouthful of plain water.

• Swish the water in your mouth for 30 seconds. 

• Spit out the water and repeat if desired. 

Be Mindful of Chlorine

Swimming is one of the best ways to stay active and cool off during the summer, but frequent trips to the pool may have an impact on your oral health. While occasional swimming is unlikely to cause problems, prolonged exposure to improperly balanced pool water with high chlorine levels or an unregulated pH can contribute to tooth sensitivity, staining, and enamel erosion. If you spend a lot of time in the pool this summer, wait about 30 minutes after swimming before brushing your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste, and consider rinsing with water or an alcohol-free fluoride mouthwash to help protect your smile.

Schedule Your Child's Summer Dental Checkup

Summer is the perfect time to schedule your child's routine dental checkup. Regular visits to Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry allow us to detect potential concerns early, provide preventive care, and help keep your child's smile healthy as they grow. During each visit, our team also shares personalized oral hygiene tips and guidance to help your child maintain excellent dental health all year long.

Keep your child's smile healthy all summer and beyond by scheduling a visit with Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry. Our pediatric dentists proudly care for children throughout the Houston area with compassionate, family-focused dental care designed to keep growing smiles healthy for years to come. Call Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry today or request an appointment online at one of our four convenient Houston-area locations and give your child the healthy, confident smile they deserve.