It’s more today about healthy teeth, as part of the Arm & Hammer Switch & Save Challenge.

A friend of mine has a saying when it comes to her kid’s teeth:

“Your teeth are mine until you leave home.”

AMEN to that!  With the sky high cost of dental care, it pays to do everything I can to take care of my family’s teeth.

A bad trip to the dentist can set you back a bundle, especially if you don’t have dental insurance.

My husband even threatened our kids once, when they lied about having brushed their teeth, “That’s OK he said, if you have a cavity, you can help pay for it.”  That sent them running for the bathroom to brush their teeth for REAL this time.

Here’s few strategies to keep your family’s pearly whites healthy:

• When your children are little, brush their teeth for them. Especially before bed, I brushed my children’s teeth until they were around 4 years old.  My mom, who had been a dental assistant, taught me to lay my child back so their head rested on my lap and brush.  That way you can really see what’s happening in their mouth.  Once you’re used to it, it becomes an easy part of your bedtime routine.

• Talk about how nice it feels to have clean teeth. Kids don’t often pay pay attention to little details like their teeth, but if you mention how nice if feels to have clean teeth often enough, they will eventually agree with you.  I love to say to my kids after brushing, “Oh I love how nice and smooth and clean my teeth feel, don’t you?”  It helps to have your kids WANT to brush their teeth because they like a clean mouth.

• Find a great dentist. Not all dentist are made alike.  My husband went to a dentist for years and loved him.  But, when his dentist got older and retired, he turned his practice over to his son.  On his first checkup with the son, my husband was surprised to hear that he had several cavities that needed filling.  My husband had never had a cavity in his life, even though he was an adult.  He scheduled a follow up visit to have the cavities filled, but when he got home he had second thoughts and made an appointment with a different dentist that had come highly recommended.  The dentist mentioned that he had some areas they wanted to watch, but other than that, his teeth looked healthy.  It was years before one or two of those “cavities” actually needed a filling.

• If you have thumb sucker older than three, try Mavala Stop.  Unfortunately my girls are going to need orthodontics. Between being on ventilators as tiny babies… and then thumb sucking, both changed the shape of their mouth.  I couldn’t do a thing about the ventilators, but thumb sucking was another matter. My girls had health problems and had a lot of pain as babies, so I was grateful for anything that brought them comfort.  But by the time they were three, thumb sucking had worn out it’s usefulness and it’s welcome.  One of our girls stopped by herself when we told her that big kids going to preschool don’t suck their thumb.  But my other daughter was hopelessly addicted to her thumb.  Luckily, an orthodontist friend told us about Mavala Stop.  We ordered it from Amazon and when it arrived, I painted her thumb nail with the bitter solution.  In one weekend, she broke the habit.  We only hope that little bottle of Mavala Stop will help save us money on orthodontics!

• LIMIT soda and candy. Even diet soda is acidic, which can break down the enamel of your teeth.   DANG!  I love Cherry Coke Zero and Diet Dr. Pepper, maybe I just need to use a straw. Would that help?

• Provide flossing picks to make flossing easier for your kids… and for adults.

When my mom was a girl and they couldn’t afford toothpaste, they always brushed with straight baking soda.  I’d rather use Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Toothpaste, if I can help it.  Arm & Hammer provides a free sample if you click here.

One last money saving tip for teeth.  If you have an accident that breaks a tooth or teeth, check with your health care insurance first.  My husband shattered two teeth this past season in a skiing mishap and we were faced with a BIG dental bill for root canals and porcelain crowns.  On a recommendation, we check our health insurance.  We were surprised to find our insurance covered accidents that occur to sound natural teeth.  It was a relief to have some of the bill covered by insurance.

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This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is paying me to try different products. Sign up for a free sample of Advance White Brilliant Sparkle Toothpaste. And then head over to The Switch & Save Challenge to keep up with all of the bloggers and enter to win $25,000.

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