Backpack.
Check. Pens and pencils. Check. Organizers and notebooks. Check. You've
made lists and checked them twice for everything your child needs to go
back to school. Despite your child's hemming and hawing, you have
probably already made an appointment for their annual physical as well.
But there may be a very important item missing from your back-to-school
check list: your child's dental check-up.

Dental caries, also
known as tooth decay, is the most common chronic childhood disease,
five times more common than asthma. It's also completely preventable
with proper care. Good oral health is an important part of a child's
overall well being, especially as they and their teeth are developing.

Dental
check-ups are crucial to identify risks and help prevent more serious
problems from occurring such as tooth decay and gum disease. Dentists
can even identify early signs of other diseases like diabetes and
vitamin deficiencies. However, without regular dental screenings and
prevention measures like sealants on molars, dental disease often goes
untreated and can result in cavities, pain and infection. Untreated
dental disease can also interfere with learning, speech, and eating,
leading to poor nutrition and problems in school.

You can also help your child protect their teeth throughout the school year with a few simple tips:

–
Sugar and acid in soda and sports drinks can eat away tooth's enamel:
if your children are drinking these, send them to school with a straw
so the liquid will have less contact with their teeth.

– Most
bottled water doesn't have tooth decay fighting fluoride: you can save
money by skipping the bottled water and having your child drink water
from the tap using a tap filter or a filtered pitcher.

–
Chewing gum doesn't have to be bad for your child's teeth. Always use
sugarless gum and look for chewing gum with xylitol, the natural
sweetener that has been proven to help prevent tooth decay, listed as
one of the top three ingredients.

– If your child participates
in a school sport, make sure he/she wears a mouth guard. According to
the American Dental Association, sports-related injuries knock out two
million teeth per year. Your child will be 60 times less likely to
suffer tooth damage than an athlete without a mouth guard. [Mouth
guards are rarely covered by insurance plans because of the wide
variation in cost between custom, mouth-formed and stock ones — any
mouth guard is better than none.]

Most importantly, schedule an
appointment with your child's dentist. Start a positive tradition that
will hopefully last them their entire lives. Your child should walk
away with a new toothbrush, a sticker and a brighter smile. You will
walk away with peace of mind, knowing you have a full picture of your
child's overall health and that your son or daughter is truly ready to
start the new school year.