While life may be busy, not having enough time to brush your teeth is not really a great excuse. According to a study by the Ad Council, kids waste a lot of time on TV and playing video games and could be spending a tiny bit of that time brushing their teeth. Sadly, it seems that they aren’t. The study shows that kids in general brush their teeth far less than they ought to and indicates that only 44 percent of American kids brush their teeth two or more times per day. That leaves 66 percent of our country’s young population vulnerable to tooth decay.

This is a very serious problem especially when you consider that the bacteria that is produced in an unhealthy mouth is associated with all sorts of health issues such as heart disease, diabetes problems and even obesity. According to an Ad Council press release, “oral disease causes kids to miss 51 million school hours and their parents to lose 25 million work hours annually.”

That’s why we encourage starting pediatric dental care early, carefully monitoring children’s dental care routine and making sure you schedule regular cleanings. We make the idea of dental care fun for kids and also take time to teach your kids how to brush properly. To schedule your child’s regular cleaning and check-up, call Tobin Dental Care at our Garden City New York dental office at (516) 747-253 today and keep their smiles safe and strong!

Here are a few activities and links from the AD Council on proper brushing and ways to help your kids brush long enough:

Remind kids to brush for two minutes, twice a day. Find fun 2-minute videos to entertain them while brushing. http://bit.ly/QXCOi3

Parents: keep track of your child’s brushing routine with this handy checklist http://bit.ly/NlmaJV #2min2X #KidsHealthyMouths