Lenoir Pediatric Dentisty Helps with Tips to Keep Your Kid’s Teeth Safe
When you consider all that concrete and tile, combined with the rough play and slippery surfaces, it’s not surprising that a significant number of dental emergencies happen at pools! Now that summer’s here, check out these tips on pool safety that can prevent you from needing to call an emergency pediatric dentist in Lenoir.
Ensure There is a Non-Skid Coating
If you are the pool owner, you can minimize the chance of accidents by treating your lanai area with a non-skid coating. For a less permanent solution, you can add a non-slip pool mat to the area. Just remember to clean the mat every so often to decrease microbes that cause foot infections, like Athlete’s foot.
Supervise Children at All Times
It is important that an adult be present whenever children are using the pool. If your kids are old enough to spend time at home unattended, make it a house rule that the pool should never be used without an adult or supervisor who can call 911 in the case of an accident. If you have small children, you might also want to consider adding an alarm that alerts you whenever someone approaches the pool edge.
Teach and Enforce Basic Pool Safety
Basic pool rules that can save your kids’ teeth from chipping, cracking, or breaking include:
- Never dive into the shallow end of the pool (or, if the entire pool is shallow, no diving at all)
- Never dive onto a pool toy or “floatie”
- Never dive into the pool headfirst under any circumstances
- Keep rolling toys, like tricycles, away from the poolside at all time
- Do not run in the pool area
Watch Out for Chlorine
Chlorine is an important—and federally required—part of keeping pools safe from bacteria, but its high pH can wreak havoc on teeth. Constant exposure to chlorine will give the teeth a brownish discoloration; it can also cause the enamel to soften, making the teeth more susceptible to damage, decay and breakage. If you’re using a public or community pool, keep an eye out for signs that the pool water is too acidic, like eroded linings, railings, and ladders. At home, keep the pool’s pH level above seven.
Have a Safe and Healthy Summer with Our Lenoir Pediatric Dentist!
We hope that these pool safety tips will help keep your kids’ smiles safe all summer long. If you need to schedule an appointment for a tooth cleaning, dental exam, or other procedure, you can reach our Lenoir pediatric dentist by filling out our easy contact form.