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Grand Dental Studio — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  So many things to think about when caring for your small children. Some times, our #1 priority is getting them to sleep and getting ourselves to sleep each night. However, two health topics are important to mention in this blog.

First, start brushing teeth early. It is great habit and nothing is cuter than seeing your 11 month old walking around with a little tooth brush. Second, make brushing teeth fun. We sing a fun little song about brushing teeth to the “Jingle Bells” tune. It goes like this “Brush brush brush - brush brush brush - brush brush John’s teeth. Brush them right to make them white so they will shine so brightly.” Have your children’s teeth checked out by your dentist between the ages of 2 and 3 years old or earlier. Bring your children to the dentist with you so they get used to going. Always, make life fun and never scare your child. Going to the dentist can be very fun and it starts early. We have a treasure chest for our kids to take prizes from when they are at our office. It is a big hit.

Our second topic is eating right. It goes along with healthy bones and strong teeth, etc. We are really working on this one. I have no new news for you and I certainly don’t want to lecture. The best tips I have for toddlers is offer healthy first. Don’t keep unhealthy snacks in your house. Encourage fruit slices, veggie sticks, whole grains, and all natural cheeses for snack time. Stay away from snacks high in sugar. Avoid all soft drinks. Kids should really drink milk, water, and limited sugar juices. We recently bought a juice machine and making fresh juices has been a big hit with our toddler. The juice machine makes a loud noise as it is crushing the fruit. Yeh - the boys like the grinding part. Sneak in vegetables as much as you can. One of my wives favorites is the broccoli, pasta alfredo. This pasta dish is yummy and the broccoli is diced up so small the kids can not even see it. Supplement with a simple vitamin.  Of course, you would defer to your pediatrian for all kid advice.

While there may be bumps along the way, making health food choices supports growing bodies, healthy teeth, and flexible minds now and in the future. Honestly, it is like a microscope for your own bad habits. Monkey see monkey do. Choose wisely yourself and get yourself to the dentist regularly. Eat healthy and excercise moderately. You are the role model for your kids. Yeh - I know this is hard because some days I can only think about getting those little fellas to sleep and having a cold beer - PLEASE.

Sincerely, Dr. Michael Kirk