Perhaps one of the most difficult, yet most important, aspects of parenthood is teaching your kids to take care of their teeth. In a perfect world, your kids would realize how important their dental hygiene is and they would take great care of their teeth at all times. In a perfect world, however, you’d already be a billionaire and your kids wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. Since it’s not (anything close to) a perfect world, you’re going to have to step up your parenting game to ensure your kids’ teeth are healthy and strong.

Here are a few parenting mistakes that, if made, can lead to the destruction of your kids’ teeth and extremely high dental expenses in the future.

Keeping Energy Drinks In the House

If you constantly have sugary drinks in the fridge, even if you tell your kids not to touch them because they’re for the adults, it’s still setting a poor example for your children. And if you let your kids drink these sugary liquids, just wait for the litany of dental issues to arise. Sports drinks are very harmful to your kids’ teeth, but researchers found that exposure to energy drinks like Rockstar, Monster, and Red Bull resulted in twice as much enamel loss (3.1%) as exposure to sports drinks (1.5%).

Punish Your Kids for Not Brushing Their Teeth

Although you have to show them the importance of brushing, you can’t just yell and scream at them if they don’t. This will make them push back and use not brushing as a silent revolt against you. Try to make brushing their teeth fun from an early age by using cool brushes and funky toothpastes.

Skipping Pediatric Dentist Appointments

If you are constantly skipping visits to your pediatric dentist’s office, you’re not doing your kids any favors. You can only do so much as a parent to keep your children’s teeth strong and healthy, eventually, you’re going to need professional help. Pediatric dentists can help ensure that your kids are getting the proper dental care they deserve.

Parenting is tough and your kids are going to put up a solid fight to destroy their teeth with candy, sugary drinks, and faux brushing techniques, but if you are persistent, have them visit their dentist, and incorporate a little fun, everything should be all right. Contact Smilez Pediatric Dental Group today if your kids are ready for a dental checkup.