{"id":212,"date":"2024-08-21T15:35:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T15:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/?p=212"},"modified":"2025-03-27T16:16:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T16:16:32","slug":"how-to-help-your-child-get-an-a-in-oral-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/21\/how-to-help-your-child-get-an-a-in-oral-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Your Child Get an A+ in Oral Health This School Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/school-lunch-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A little girl in the lunch line at a her school's cafeteria\" class=\"wp-image-213\" style=\"width:313px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/school-lunch-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/school-lunch-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/school-lunch-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/school-lunch.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>School is back in session, but are your child\u2019s school lunches making the grade? Whether you\u2019re packing a lunchbox or paying for school-made meals, what your kids eat during the day can have a lasting impact on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/childrens-dentistry.html\">oral health<\/a>. While you can\u2019t always control what they choose when they\u2019re away from home, here are some healthy options to send along, and a few suggestions you can give them when they\u2019re deciding on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Healthy Choices Start at Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When packing your child\u2019s school lunch, it\u2019s important to remember that they may not always have access to a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss. Thus, whatever you send should be tooth friendly. Safe items to provide include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fresh fruits and vegetables<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nuts (if allowed) and seeds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whole grains<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lean meats<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A reusable water bottle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are relying on your child to make healthy choices in the lunch line, encourage them to pick similar options when available, and to avoid foods such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Candies, pastries, or ice cream<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fruit juices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chips or French fries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Soda or sports drinks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gummies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jellies or jams<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, be sure to remind them to never use their teeth to chew on their pens or pencils, fingernails, or to open stubborn snack packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Ways to Protect Their Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to providing a wellspring of healthy meal options, you can help protect your child\u2019s oral health by doing the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Send them to school with an oral health care kit, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide them with a bite guard if they grind their teeth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide them with a sports mouthguard if they play a sport during recess, PE, or after school.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure they are brushing and flossing before they leave for school and before they go to bed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t skip their regular, semi-annual dental exams and cleanings, and if you notice any changes in their oral health, be sure to schedule an urgent appointment with your dentist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, excellent oral health is learned, too. Be your child\u2019s first teacher by setting a positive example of a proper diet and hygiene techniques, and your child will have an A+ smile for the rest of their life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Dr. Kaopua<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/jason-kaopua-dmd.html\">Dr. Jason Kaopua<\/a> became fascinated by dentistry as a child and has let that childhood wonder lead him into a satisfying career that lets him help patients of all ages. Whether he\u2019s teaching a child the importance of proper brushing or fitting a grownup with a beautiful set of veneers, he understands the positive impact excellent oral health can have on improving your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To schedule an appointment for your child at Albright Family Dental, please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/request-an-appointment.html\">visit our website<\/a> or call us today at 425-267-3333.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>School is back in session, but are your child\u2019s school lunches making the grade? Whether you\u2019re packing a lunchbox or paying for school-made meals, what your kids eat during the day can have a lasting impact on their oral health. While you can\u2019t always control what they choose when they\u2019re away from home, here are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albrightfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}