Most of us know that children’s oral health is important – it helps prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and more serious health complications in the future. But encouraging children to brush their teeth, use dental floss, and visit the dentist can be quite the battle.
That’s why we’ve created this guide, where we’ll explore the importance of oral health, the barriers children in care face, and our tips for keeping your foster child’s teeth in tip-top condition.
Why is oral health important?
Oral health is a huge part of our physical health, and if you’ve ever experienced a dental problem, you’ll probably agree that the painful symptoms can really ruin your day.
But it’s not just about the pain it can cause when our teeth aren’t properly cared for. It’s the short-term and long-term effects that can impact our quality of life and, in extreme cases, cause serious health problems.
Supporting children to build healthy dental care habits now can help prevent infections and the need for tooth extractions and fillings, which can lead to time off school, social isolation, and problems with sleeping and eating.
It can also help prevent the long-term effects of poor oral health, such as bad breath, gum disease, and tooth abscesses, improving their outcomes and overall well-being in adulthood.
Barriers to good dental health for foster kids
Research reveals that children in care are twice as likely to have urgent dental needs and require a tooth extraction as their peers. They are also less likely to visit a dentist and have ongoing dental needs.
Children in care often face barriers to healthy oral health. Although these barriers are unique to each child, here are some examples of how a child’s past can impact their dental health when they move into your home:
- Neglect: If a child has experienced neglect, brushing their teeth and visiting the dentist may feel alien to them because in their birth home, they weren’t part of their routine.
- Frequent moves: If a child has moved foster homes a few times, this may have disrupted their routine, and they may have fallen out of the habit of caring for their teeth.
- Trauma: Children living with trauma may have negative associations with brushing their teeth. They may also be hypersensitive to the texture of a toothbrush, the taste of toothpaste, and the busy environment of a dental surgery.
- Communication: Abuse and neglect can lead to developmental delays, which could make it difficult for a child to communicate their dental needs.
- Scared of the dentist: They may be afraid of dental check-ups because they are new to them or because they struggle to trust new adults due to their past experiences.
Getting to know the child in your care can help you understand which barriers to good dental care they face. From here, you can approach improving their oral hygiene habits in a way that works for them. Below are our tips to help you build dental care into your foster child’s routine.
Tips for helping children care for their teeth
Whether you foster long-term or provide emergency foster care, our tips can help your foster child create healthy oral hygiene habits that they can take with them when they return home, move to another foster home, or leave care.
Talk to them about dental health
Children are never too young to learn about why dental health is important. Knowing the ‘why’ could help turn the boring and monotonous task of brushing their teeth into something they become eager to do.
If your foster child is young, books like Why Should I Brush My Teeth? by Katie Daynes can help you explain why it’s important, why baby teeth fall out and why animals don’t have toothbrushes. And books like The Children’s Book of Dental Health by Kasasa Sarah also include a reward chart and stickers for gentle encouragement.
There are plenty of videos on YouTube, featuring children’s favourite TV characters and songs about brushing their teeth, making learning about dental care engaging and fun.
If you foster teenagers, a toothpaste advert could prompt a low-pressure conversation about oral hygiene, and videos on YouTube and TikTok can be a good visual way to help them learn how to brush their teeth correctly.
Let them choose their toothbrush
You can help children feel more comfortable and enthusiastic about brushing their teeth by giving them a little control over the habit.
Let them choose their toothbrush and help them find a toothpaste flavour that isn’t too overpowering for them. You could also ask them to decide when in the morning and evening they’d like to brush their teeth.
If your foster child struggles with the sensation of a standard manual toothbrush, try a silicone or electric toothbrush to find one that works for them. Once they have their toothbrush, you can then slowly introduce the idea of using it by pretending to brush the teeth of their favourite toys, or practising with their mouth closed.
Role model good oral hygiene
Children model their caregivers, so make sure you’re taking good care of your oral health too. Brush your teeth twice a day, visit the dentist for regular check-ups, and if you’re really committed, floss after every meal.
You could even start brushing your teeth with your foster child, making up a silly song together. This could help turn the idea of brushing their teeth from a chore to a chance to have one-on-one time with you.
If your foster child sees dental care as a normal part of your family’s routine, it will make forming the habit feel more natural to them too.
Make it fun
Standing in front of a mirror in silence to brush your teeth isn’t exactly a fun activity, especially for a child. So make it fun!
There are plenty of apps out there specifically designed to encourage children to brush their teeth. Brush DJ can play your foster child’s favourite song for two minutes and send helpful reminders to brush and floss. Apps like Chomper Chums let children pick a brushing buddy to learn how to brush and floss correctly, and Toothsavers turns the habit into a game to save a magic kingdom.
If you don’t want to use an app, make up your own game. For example, you could set a timer for two minutes and have a competition to see who can keep brushing their teeth the longest.
Helping a child who’s afraid of the dentist
If your foster child is scared of going to the dentist, one of the most important things you can do is validate their fear and show understanding. Find out what it is about the dentist that they find scary, and then try some of our ideas below to reassure them:
- Role play visiting the dentist: You could ask them to take on the role of a dentist and practice looking at their toy’s teeth, or you could pretend to be the dentist and check their teeth.
- Visit the dental surgery: Take your foster child to the dental surgery before the appointment. This will give them the chance to look around and get a feel for the setting. You could also introduce them to staff so they won’t be meeting new adults on the day.
- Talk to the dentist: Before the appointment, let the dentist know about your foster child’s fears; they’ll likely have some strategies they use for nervous patients.
- Take a comfort item: Ask your foster child to pick a comforting item, like a toy or a blanket, that will give them a little reassurance when they’re in the chair.
- Stay by their side: When they’re having their check-up, hold their hand or sit nearby. It may also help them if you narrate what’s happening using child-friendly language like, ‘They’re going to tickle your teeth now.’
- Choose a stop sign: Let them know it’s okay if they need a break during their check-up and agree on a signal they can use to tell you, such as raising their hand.
- Praise their bravery: Once the appointment is over, celebrate their bravery and talk to them about how it went. What did they find hard? How can you make it more comfortable for them in the future?
If you try these strategies, and your foster child is still too afraid to go to the dentist, reach out for support. At FCA Scotland, our Team Parenting model includes therapeutic interventions that can help children open up about their feelings and understand the root cause. You can also talk to your supervising social worker or lean on other foster carers; they may have some helpful advice based on their experiences.
Thinking about fostering?
If you’d like to make a big difference in the life of a child, we’d love to hear from you! Call us on 0141 646 4805 to learn more about fostering, including the different types of foster care, fostering allowances, and the support you’ll receive at FCA Scotland. You can also submit an online enquiry form, and one of our team will be in touch.
