10 tips to help your kid speed to good dental health with NASCAR’s Greg Biffle
(BPT) - Getting children to brush their teeth can be challenging. No parent wants to struggle with their child every morning and night to ensure they develop good dental habits and a healthy smile.
That’s why NASCAR star Greg Biffle and his wife Nicole, parents of a two-year old daughter, have joined forces with the American Dental Association’s Give Kids A Smile program to help deliver smiles for kids around the country.
Race fans of all ages can join Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, and his wife to put good dental health on the fast track. With good brushing and flossing habits, a smart diet and regular visits to the dentist, they can have a great smile just like Biffle in victory lane.
The Biffles and the ADA offer the following 10 tips for kids’ good dental health:
* Always brush for two minutes, twice a day.
* Make sure your child is seen by a dentist as soon as his or her first tooth erupts but at least no later than the first birthday.
* Help children maintain a lifelong healthy smile by providing them with a well-balanced diet, limiting snacks, ensuring that they brush twice per day and floss once per day, and scheduling regular dental checkups for them.
* Replace toothbrushes every three to four months, or sooner if bristles are worn.
* Remember to floss. Flossing removes plaque from between teeth, where a toothbrush can't reach.
* Wearing a mouthguard can prevent playground or skateboarding injuries
* A dental examination is as important as booster shots and should be a regular part of back-to-school preparation
* A painful tooth or chronic dental problem can lead to difficulty eating, speaking, learning and concentrating
* Good oral health is part of good overall health. The mouth is a window into the health of the body
* Frequent snacking or sipping on sugar-containing beverages such as soda, juices, sports drinks - even flavored waters - creates an environment for tooth decay because it exposes your teeth to acid
* Make brushing a daily game to help encourage kids’ participation.
Biffle is not only making race fans cheer, he’s also helping give kids a new reason to smile. Through his work with the American Dental Association’s Give Kids A Smile program, he is supporting an ongoing education program for parents and children through dental offices, community events and media. Throughout the year, there will be more than 1,850 Give Kids A Smile events around the country providing dental services to more than 350,000 underserved children.
In addition to following Biffle’s tips for a winning smile, race fans of all ages can put themselves in victory lane with him. Just visit www.3MESPE.com this spring to create a photo with Greg Biffle on pit road or with the race-winning trophy in Victory Lane. For more smart dental tips, visit www.2min2x.org, www.MouthHealthy.org and www.Facebook.com/GiveKidsASmile.
