We just got back from the dentists office and one of the kids has three cavities. UGh. So many people go without medical insurance let alone dental insurance. But there is a great dental insurance plan that is not very expensive. It is called toothpaste. holy moly. It is really pretty simple, cost effective and can save your family tons of money.

Taking care of your kids (and your own teeth) is soooo important and ultimately will save your family so much money. I do not have any solid statistical numbers but our personal experience has been that a typical family will probably spend up to $7000 per kid on dental care (if they go to the orthodontist as well) over 18 years. That is almost $400 per year on each kid to take care of their teeth. For our kid with cavaties we are going to end up spending closer to $10,000 over the span of 18 years. yikes. That could buy alot of toothpaste.

So, here are a couple of ideas to help your kids take care of their teeth.

• Start early - once their teeth come in get a soft toothbrush and get them used to brushing after meals right from the start.
• Brush your teeth with them - show them the right way to brush and do it with them so they can see you brushing your teeth and they know that it is not only important to you but easy to do.
• Remember flossing - help them learn how to floss regularly. Our house is split between the traditional floss and floss picks. I love floss picks - they are a little more expensive but if they get a kid (or a parent) to floss more often then they are worth it. If you have never seen a floss pick you can usually find them in the toothpaste / toothbrush aisle. They are little sticks just a little longer than a toothpick that have a preloaded floss at the end making it a little easier to floss some of the back teeth.
• Brush for at least 2 minutes preferrably 4 - A great way to help your kids with this is to either get a kitchen timer in the bathroom (this also works to time showers which we have had to limit on occassion now that we have teenagers). The other way to encourage longer brushing is to get your kid a tooth tunes toothbrush. You can find these at the variety stores like Target and Walmart. Each toothbrush plays a different song. You can let your kid pick out their own song and then they have to brush their teeth until the song is over.
• Get regular check ups - it is much easier on the checkbook to catch a problem early. Find it in your budget to make this happen. Most dentist offices will help you set up a payment plan if that is easier. If they won’t work with you then find another dentist. There are lots of them out there. Finding a dentist that is great with kids is another way to encourage your kids. Our youngest loves going to his dentist because they listen to him when he is there. There are also a number of free and reduced priced dental clinics. Check with your local social services department to see if you can take advantage of some of these programs. It is too important to not take the time. There are a lot of caring dentists out there volunteering their time to make sure all young children at least get checked for basic dental care.
• Finally, establish good eating and snacking routines for your kids - at this last visit our dentist reminded my son that when he is playing video games or watching movies with his friends one of the worst things he could do is to sip a can of pop over a long period of time. This slow exposure to sugar over longer periods of time is terrible for his teeth. Encourage your kids to drink water or other drinks that won’t tear up their teeth. Encourage them to choose an apple over some sugary snack. This was easy for me to do when my kids were preschool age but once they became teenagers and were spending more time at other friends houses this became more of a challenge. Help them make better choices for their teeth’s sake.

As we are heading back to the dentist to fill three cavaties I am encouraging all the Stay at Home Moms out there to invest a little time in starting your kids out early and having them checked routinely to catch any problems early. Good Luck. And just think, by saving over $3000 per kid on dental care, you and your hubby could take a trip to Hawaii with all the money you saved.