The summer season is meant for fun. You may want to spend more time together, but you can also throw off your usual dental routine. Vacations, play dates, summer play dates, and even the pandemic can throw you off the dental routine. Contact a Winnipeg dentist to know more about dental hygiene. 

If you have kids, it can be a great time to brush up on healthy habits for maintaining their teeth. Below are some tips for keeping your smiles bright during summer and yearlong.

Tips for healthy summer smiles

• Prepare a routine and stay focused on it.

Letting your dental hygiene fall on the pavement during summer is easy. As the summer routine changes, ensure your child’s oral health stays on track. To maintain a routine, you should make a chart to keep track of morning and before sleep brushing routines and daily flossing. Determine what schedule works best for you and your family to help reduce the chances of dental issues.

• No sugar-containing snacks and drinks.

When you are at a park or comforting at the pool or beach, it can be tempting to have some chips, cookies, fruit snacks, or animal crackers. They are available anywhere, and these snacks contain a lot of added sugars which is the ultimate reason for cavities and tooth decay over time. Instead, you can pack some apple slices, grapes, cheese cubes, or nuts to keep your kids energized all day long. For beverages, water is the best option. Kids mostly like sports and juice drinks, but these beverages contain lots of added sugars that may adhere to your child’s teeth and damage the enamel. 

• Consider wearing mouth guards.

If your child plays summer sports, ensure to procure them with a mouth guard. Injuries from sports often result in chipped or broken front teeth, cut lips, or fractured tooth roots. If your child has braces, the injuries can be severe. You should encourage using mouth guards for sports like football or soccer to prevent such injuries. 

• Schedule dental appointments frequently

Once your child’s school is off, make sure you book an appointment at the earliest. You will find more appointment times available in the early summer, and you can arrange the timing that works best with your schedule. Once the summer gets busy, make sure you book appointments for your family members too. These checkups are an excellent way to ensure that your child and family have no dental issues. Even if you find dental problems, you will get a lot more time to fix them with the dentist.