02/10/2026
Tip Tuesday! February is National Children’s Dental Health Month 🦷🪥😁
Did you know that dental health can have a direct correlation to speech development? There are several important steps to take in order to foster proper dental health for your little one.
🦷Check out our top tips:
✅Schedule your child’s first dental visit by 12 months of age. Scheduling an early visit can help establish a dental home and allow dental professionals to monitor oral development.
✅Create an oral hygiene routine early. Teach your child to brush twice daily for 2 minutes each. It is important to supervise their brushing until they can adequately brush independently.
✅Wean pacifier use after 12 months. Prolonged pacifier use can negatively impact oral muscle development, tongue movement, and bite alignment. This can further impact expressive language use, as well as production of speech sounds including /s/, /z/, /t/, and /d/.
✅Make healthy snack choices. Reserve sugary snacks and sodas as treats. Instead, offer tooth-friendly foods such as fruits and vegetables.
✅Practice/encourage proper oral posture. Proper oral posture includes the following: keeping the mouth closed, breathing through the noses and resting the tongue on the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth. Maintaining a proper oral posture is beneficial for facial development, oral health, and overall wellness.
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