While it’s still hot outdoors, summer is almost over. Parents will know what that means – the start of the Fall semester. If you have kids, you’ll likely get them supplies, pack lunches, and more. However, there’s another, lesser-known way to help children with upcoming classes: a back-to-school dental checkup! You see, healthy smiles lead to better grades. Your Medford dentist even has evidence to prove it. That said, here’s a summary of how oral health and academic success relate.
Oral Health & Academics
In many peoples’ minds, Picture Day is the only connection between teeth and school. The reality, though, is that poor oral health hurts academic performance. Kids with dental issues don’t do well on exams, struggle to learn, act against teachers, and even skip classes.
Apparently, it comes down to how (painfully) distracting tooth problems are. A 2012 Journal of Pediatrics study concluded that children with oral issues struggle to focus in school. Due to this struggle, they’ll often fail to learn their coursework and suffer dips in their grades. Their dental pain will also lower their motivation to focus in class and make them unhappy.
Aid a Student with Dental Checkups
In light of these facts, have your child see a dentist before school starts. A quick dental checkup could greatly improve their academics.
Remember: Dentists are excellent at preventing and reducing oral pain. That much is natural – they detect and fix underlying mouth problems better than anyone. As a result, they could give your kids healthy, non-distracting smiles. This change, in turn, would lead to heightened concentration and school performance.
Practice Oral Care at Home
Aside from booking a checkup, you can help a child’s schooling by improving their home oral care. Some ways to do so include:
- Improve Their Oral Hygiene – If possible, remind your kids to brush their smiles twice daily and floss between teeth once daily. Furthermore, please suggest that they rinse their mouths with mouthwash as needed.
- Make Their Diet(s) Mouth-Friendly – Limit your child’s sugar intake, as this carb can cause severe tooth decay. From there, make sure their meals include foods with mouth-healthy nutrients. Examples include lean proteins, leafy greens, and dairy products.
- Get Involved as a Parent – To help your child take oral health more seriously, read fun books to them about oral health habits.
Given how oral health and academic success relate, you can still give your student an edge this semester. Just have them visit their local dentist and care for their precious smile!
About the Practice
Giamberardino Dental Care is based in Medford, MA. Led by Dr. Anthony Giamberardino, our practice strives to give each patient truly flourishing teeth. We thus perform high-quality preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, as well as emergency dental work. Our office even works with local specialists to place outstanding dental implants. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (781)-396-3800.