Lindsey Clark writes :

Good dental hygiene starts when you're young. That means parents, listen up. Christi Paul has more tips for keeping your child's smile healthy in today's Health Minute.

Grace Hamrick, 6, loves having no cavities. Besides getting her picture on the wall at her dentist's office, she takes good care of her teeth- for one main reason. Grace says, "Because I don't want my teeth to fall out."

Her mom says all three of her kids started brushing their teeth around age two. Cathy Hamrick says, "Since they were so young, we would always come up behind them after they've brushed- just kinda make sure they get all the nook and crannies."

Something all parents should be doing. Dr. Rhea Haugseth, pediatric dentist says, "Most kids cannot brush by themselves til they are about 8 or 9. They don't have the motor skills to get in there and do a good job. And they definitely can't floss by themselves til they're about 10 or 11."

This mistake is something the president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry hears all the time, but not the only one.

Dr. Haugseth says, "If you finish a meal, if you wait until you go to bed, it could be 2-3 hours that you've left that food on your teeth."

She recommends brushing after every meal instead. What kids drink is as important. Replace sugary drinks, even sports drinks, with regular water. And even if your child has sealants, only the biting surface is covered. They can still sometimes get decay on one of the other sides of the teeth.