You beg, cajole, and nag, but no matter how you plead, you still haven’t figured out how to get the little ones excited to brush their teeth regularly.

Our book, Bye, Bye, Germs, can help. Bye, Bye Germs uses kid-friendly language and images to help children learn the importance of brushing their teeth. Bye, Bye Germs will get your kids excited to brush twice a day for two minutes. When Emma, a little girl, faces off against Jerry the Germ, Timmy the Toothbrush swoops in to teach her why she should brush and together they save her beautiful teeth. Children love this story—they want you to read Bye, Bye Germs to them over and over. Each time you do its message is reinforced.

You do many things to keep your child’s teeth healthy. You make sure your child drinks water with fluoride. You take your child to the dentist and to the doctor. But most importantly, you establish a twice daily dental care routine with your child. With proper care, you can prevent your child from getting cavities!

Our teeth accumulate buildup called plaque as we go through our day eating and drinking. Plaque and sugar provide the food for the bacteria. Bacteria causes cavities to thrive and begin decaying a tooth.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3 to strengthen your teeth with fluoride! Fluoride plays a very important role in strengthening the enamel and preventing cavities and tooth decay. Make these simple changes in your daily habits and you can crush childhood cavities!

1. Drink fluoridated tap water
2. Brush teeth with fluoridated toothpaste
3. Have your doctor or dentist apply fluoride varnish

Fluoride in any form is safe and effective and is recommended by The American Dental Association (ADA), the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFM).

Most people know that they should brush their teeth twice a day. But not many realize that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that they do so for TWO MINUTES each time. Two minutes can seem like an eternity when staring into the bathroom mirror – and even more so for kids.

But it is important so that there is enough time for the toothbrush to reach all the many nooks and crannies where bacteria may be hiding in the mouth.

Parents should brush teeth for their child until age 7-8.

Dental cavities in the baby teeth of Minnesota’s children is a silent epidemic, even though cavities are preventable. An alarming number of children, nearly half of all children ages 2 – 11, have cavities in their primary (baby) teeth. Over half of children starting Kindergarten have already had a cavity. The numbers are even greater in children who come from families that near or below the Federal Poverty Level or are children of color.

Elise Sarvas, a board-certified pediatric dentist on faculty at the University of Minnesota and Dental Director for MNOHP, says, “a child’s oral health can determine their oral health for the rest of their lives. Early prevention efforts can have life-long benefits.” Contrary to popular belief, dental care for baby teeth is very important in the normal, healthy development of the child. Baby teeth affect nutrition, speech, play, and smiles.