Summer is here, school is out, and your child’s dental care — well, it’s just as important as it was in the other seasons. Even though your child’s typical school-year schedule has suddenly relaxed, their regular dental routine doesn’t have to.

When the summer weather warms up and your child’s daily activities (including what they do, when they sleep, and what they eat) undergo a dramatic change, you need to pay extra attention to oral care. What do you need to consider when it comes to helping your child maintain dental health in the off-school summer months? Take a look at these easy-to-follow tips for maintaining summertime mouth care.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

Your child has three months (give or take, depending on your school district) free over the summer. The time off from school gives you plenty of options when it comes to scheduling a routine dental cleaning and checkup.

During the school year, scheduling a dental visit often requires you to bend over backwards and twist your schedule around. Instead of having to take your child out of school early, come in late, or miss after-school activities, you can schedule your child’s dental check with ease over the summer months.

CREATE A NEW ROUTINE

For many families, summer means that the days go from structured and scheduled to relaxed. Even though your child may wake up an hour or two later than they would for school or go to sleep well after it gets dark (now that they don’t have to get up early in the morning), they can’t let their healthy mouth routine go.

If your child’s dental care routine was centered around school, create a new one that matches your summer schedule. Continue to enforce brushing rules in the morning and at night for at least two minutes each time. While the specific brushing times may be somewhat different than they were in the fall, winter, and spring, the important thing to focus on is brushing at least twice a day every day.

SELECT LOW-SUGAR FOODS

Not only is your schedule lax during the summer months, but so is your family’s eating routine. While you still feed your kids three meals a day, between camp, vacation, and the ice-cream truck that always seems to be on your street, your child is at risk for dental decay.

Sugar is the prime suspect in most dental caries. Even though a sweet treat once in a while won’t destroy your child’s smile, carefully monitor what sugary foods your child eats over their summer vacation. Aim for balance, trying to make sure that you keep empty calorie foods in check. If your child has ice cream at the pool or cotton candy at the amusement park, skip dessert after dinner.

Along with limiting summertime sweets, carry a toothbrush for your child in your purse or bag. Make brushing 30 minutes after eating a sugar-filled treat part of their regular dental care routine.

DRINK WATER

The summer swelter requires plenty of hydration. It’s easy for kids to grab a juice box or a bottled sports drink, thinking that what they’re gulping down will keep them hydrated. While these types of beverages will help them to hydrate, they’ll also add sugar to your child’s diet.

Fruit juices, sports drinks, and sodas all bathe your child’s teeth in cavity-causing sugar — especially if your child is young enough to still use a sippy cup or keeps the top of a bottled beverage in their mouth for extended periods of time.

Instead of these types of drinks, choose water. Not only will water work wonders when it comes to hydration, but it won’t contribute to tooth decay.

Do you need to schedule a dental checkup during your child’s summer vacation? Contact Town Center Family Dental for more information.