Let’s Talk Staying Healthy with Cedar Rapids Pediatric Dentistry
January 23rd, 2019
Did you know that saliva is one of your body’s defenses against viruses and bacteria?
Keeping your mouth healthy helps keep your whole body healthy. Brushing, flossing, staying hydrated, and visiting the best kid dentist in Cedar Rapids, IA twice a year helps your saliva do its germ fighting job! In addition to keeping your mouth healthy, here are some little things with big impact to keep the bugs at bay.
Good hygiene habits like washing your hands often can help stop germs from spreading.
If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer. Washing your hands regularly reduces the chance of spreading respiratory and tummy bugs, so get your kids in the habit when they leave school, after play-dates, and before meals. The amount of time you wash your hands is also very important! 15-20 seconds of hand washing is recommended, so teach your children to sing Happy Birthday to themselves twice before they finish scrubbing.
Germs enter our bodies through our eyes, nose, and mouth.
Keep hands from touching faces (including their own) as much as possible. Teach your child never to share a straw, cup, or toothbrush, and be sure to replace toothbrushes whenever someone has been sick. Get everyone at home on board with cleaning their doorknobs and room surfaces. Keeping sanitizing wipes or a spray bottle filled with kid-safe cleaning spray in plain site around the house is a great reminder to keep things clean and healthy.
Exercside!
Harley A. Rotbart, M.D., says that, ‘"Exercise is better than any advertised cure or miracle." His studies show that regular, moderate exercise can reduce the number of cold and flu episodes that occur over the course of a year by 25-50 percent, possibly by boosting the circulation of infection-fighting cells. Make sure everyone is getting physical activity (spend some time playing outside if it isn't too cold or running around the Play Station!), their recommended hours of sleep, is drinking enough water, and eating nutritious food.