Community Impact interviewed Mason to provide families tips on how to maintain proper dental hygiene before heading back to school for the 2025-26 school year. Answers have been edited for length, style and clarity.
With the start of the school year, what best practices and tips would you recommend for children’s dental health as they return to school and routines?
You want to establish good habits with the kids to teach them. Daily flossing is important and brushing at least twice a day, specifically in the morning after they get up and then at night before they go to bed. I know most of the time they’re not going to be able to do a mid-day brushing, but mornings and evenings are the best bet.
What dental care tips should families keep in mind if they pack their student’s lunch?
Keeping a low-sugar lunch or lunch box is obviously the best practice, and to encourage more water in their diet. It’s not only good for them and their whole body, but water is a good neutralizer of an acidic environment in the mouth. Any kind of sugar creates an acidic environment in the mouth, which is when cavities form. The more time that the mouth can be in a more neutral environment from drinking water, it’s going to reduce the chances of cavities forming.
What can parents and teachers do to promote healthy habits for children when it comes to dental care? What about for children who participate in sports?
Creating a healthy snack board for doing well and rewarding good behavior is always a good thing, especially with younger kids, because it teaches them that, ‘If I do this then I’m going to get something that is also rewarding.’
[For athletes,] it’s always good to have a custom-fitted mouth guard and one that is comfortable so that they are willing to wear it. If they can wear those sports guards, then there’s a higher chance of probability that they won’t have to [deal] with emergencies in the dental office.
What advice do you have for navigating dental visits for children with braces or cavities?
Making sure that parents keep [dental and orthodontia] appointments, because kids with braces are not the best at taking care of their teeth.
Most of the time, appointments are at the end of the day because [the patient gets] to go home afterward and [no one has] to rush or hurry back to school or work.
Do you have any other tips for parents?
Encourage the kids to take responsibility for their oral hygiene and even for their snacking when the parents aren’t involved. It will teach them more responsibility about taking better care of themselves and not having to, hopefully, spend time in the dental chair.
