Children are our future – award-winning orthodontist offers advice on how to help ensure it’s a healthy one

It has been a testing time for us all of late, and children in particular have had their lives hugely disrupted by the global events of the past year or so. The day-to-day familiarities of their world were turned upside-down. Home-schooling and classroom ‘bubbles’ suddenly became the ‘new norm’ and precious time spent with friends and family was curtailed in a flash. Children are resilient and some suggest the younger generation are better than adults at adapting to life’s changes.

However, as award-winning specialist orthodontist and founder of West London Orthodontist, Dr Chaw-Su Kyi, says: “As we emerge from this pandemic, we need time to take stock and reflect on how COVID-19 has had its impact on childhood. It is important we are mindful of what this period of time may have done to the health and wellbeing of our children.”

National Children’s Day on 16 May celebrates the natural developmental rights and freedoms of childhood – all of which have inevitably been affected by the pandemic.

This year, the annual celebration encourages us to:

· Promote the work we do with children

· Give children in our lives a day to remember

· Ask children to share their thoughts about the world.

So, how can we ensure the sustainability of happy, healthy children as they grow up? Fundamentally, children’s quality of life lies in their early positive experiences of health and wellbeing – and this includes the nurturing of healthy smiles.

“Making sure children have strong teeth is an important part of their development into adulthood. A regular check-up with a dentist plays a key role throughout childhood as it means we can keep a watchful eye for any problems that may have a negative impact on this development, such as decay, overcrowding, gaps or misaligned teeth,” says Dr Kyi.

“Shockingly, recent figures show that almost one quarter (23.4%) of five-year-olds in England have had tooth decay. Modern-day science and technology mean we should all be able to enjoy good oral health into adulthood, so there is no reason why children should suffer with decayed teeth and unhealthy gums.”

Coincidentally, National Smile Month starts this month (17 May-17 June) – four weeks dedicated to promoting the importance of good oral health.

“For a very short while, children were unable to attend practices for routine check-ups, but dentists are back to normal now. So, if parents haven’t taken their children to the dentist recently, this month is the perfect time to get back into healthy habits,” Dr Kyi advises.

“Children’s dentition changes rapidly in the early years, so it is important they visit the dentist regularly. And, if your child is a little nervous of the dentist (unsurprising as we are now wearing full PPE masks, gowns and goggles), then talk time to talk to them about what to expect and explain how what we are wearing is there to protect us and them, like firefighters for example. Also, visit the practice website so they can see the faces behind the PPE before they attend.”

Here, Dr Kyi shares some simple ways to help give children the best start in life. By looking after their teeth and gums, we can ensure a healthy smile for many years to come.

· Give them an early start: Baby teeth DO matter, so don’t be fooled into thinking their first teeth are “going to fall out anyway”. Brush their first teeth as soon as they start to appear and continue to supervise children’s toothbrushing as they get older – at least until they are seven years old. Take your baby to see the dentist as soon as their first teeth appear, or on their first birthday – whichever comes first. Take children to the dentist twice a year for a professional oral examination. The earlier the better for both.

· Think about the rule of two: Encourage children to brush their teeth for two minutes twice a day with a pea-sized smear of fluoride-containing toothpaste (this protects teeth from decay and erosion).

· Make toothbrushing fun. Use a timer, a connected electric toothbrush or one of the number of apps available to count down those two minutes. It can seem a long time for adults let alone children! Some come with musical entertainment, or coaching tips to help children hone their toothbrushing skills early on. Don’t be afraid to reward with stickers and charts – just avoid giving them sugary treats as an acknowledgment of their achievements.

· Make it a family event. Children are great mimics and enjoy copying their role models, such as mum and dad or even an older brother or sister. Let them learn with you rather than from you. Who knows, it may even help you improve your brushing skills?

· Eat and drink to better oral health. Encourage children from an early age to enjoy a well-balanced diet. Make their meals colourful, explain why certain foods are good for their teeth and others less so and so on. Get them involved in meal preparation as they get older, too. Try to avoid having sugary or starchy snacks in the house – or at least limit these to mealtimes to avoid children grazing, which stops teeth having time to recover from the constant acid attack.

· Gently curb habits - try and encourage your child to give up thumb and finger sucking as early as you can as the longer it continues the harder it is to stop. Reward success with a star chart rather and offer them another means of comfort. As an orthodontist I see so many children who have misaligned teeth because of their thumb sucking habit.

· Explain the science. Home schooling has made teachers of us all, so why not give your children a lesson or two in how to look after their oral health? Explain what cavities are, why certain foods are bad for teeth, the mechanics of good toothbrushing (in between as well as on the surfaces) and talk about the part fluoride has to play in protecting the tooth enamel.

There are some brilliant resources for parents and caregivers on the Smile Month website here – https://www.dentalhealth.org/national-smile-month.

For further guidance from Dr Chaw-Su Kyi, visit www.westlondonorthodontist.co.uk

Say Cheese with National Smile Month