Masks are off! We can no longer hide bad oral health (or bad breath!). Did you know that bad bacteria in your mouth are to blame for cavities and gum disease? More than 20% of kids between 2-5 have at least one cavity and 52% have experienced a cavity by the age of 8.

It’s time to change these statistics for your own kids and banish bad bacteria for good. With the new year comes the perfect time to commit to creating long-term habits for good oral health for the whole family.

Sure, it’s easy to make good choices about oral health at first, especially as a New Year’s resolution. But the real trick is making it part of your everyday lives on an ongoing basis. It’s also important to encourage your kids to be mindful of theirs own oral health, even when you aren’t monitoring them — and help them develop great life-long habits as they grow. One of those important habits is using an oral-health probiotic such as ProBioraKids.

Read on for some tips on how to make good oral health a resolution you can keep, including the role oral probiotics play from ProBriora Health.

1. Understand the big picture of your family’s oral health

Our mouths are like a two-way street for our overall physical health: bad bacteria and gum disease in the mouth can lead to neurological conditions, heart disease, increased cancer risk and illnesses, according to Medical News Today.

Harmful bacteria in the body can take over the oral biome, potentially leading to tooth decay and gum disease. “Studies have suggested that oral bacteria and the inflammation of periodontitis could play a role in some serious health issues and diseases, including degenerative cardiovascular , pregnancy and birth complications, pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease,” says ProBioraHealth.com.

Alternately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point out that health conditions in the body, like diabetes, can negatively impact your gums and teeth.

2. Know the role oral care probiotics play

You’ve probably heard of digestive probiotics that help re-balance the gut biome to improve overall gut health. But you may be completely unfamiliar with probiotics made specifically for oral health. ProBioraKids oral-care probiotics work in a similar way to digestive probiotics, Balancing the good and bad bacteria in the mouths of adults and kids.

Keeping the environment of our mouths healthy and balanced with oral probiotics is part of good overall dental care but it also feeds into the overall health of our bodies. Simply put, oral health is the first line of defense against what ends up in our gut, Influencing the health of our whole bodies.

3. Model consistent oral healthcare

Recognize the benefits for your kids when you work to improve your own oral health. Make tooth brushing and flossing a consistent, expected part of your daily morning and bedtime routines. Let the kids see you brushing and flossing your own teeth (and not whining about having to do so). Let them hear you say how nice it is to have clean, healthy teeth and fresh breath. That will help your kids accept good oral care as being just a normal part of their morning and evening routines.

4. End the night the healthy way<br />

Bedtime routines are an important family ritual that help kids unwind, de-stress, and prepare for a good night’s sleep. Maybe your child’s bedtime routine includes choosing their outfit for the next day, a bath, story time or even listening to music.

Right before bed, add brushing and flossing as a must-do routine. But brushing and flossing alone isn’t enough to banish the bad bacteria that live off sugars that hang out in your child’s mouth. These bacteria go on to create an acidic environment that’s harmful to tooth enamel.

ProBioraKids oral-care probiotic Completes the job by replacing bad bacteria with beneficial bacteria for whole-mouth care. Use of an oral-care probiotic is essential for kids who wear braces or other orthodontic appliances because nearly all of these kids develop gingivitis at some point during their treatment.

WebMD suggests that kids will always ask for “one last thing” before bed, so why not make that last request something that completes your child’s oral-care routine? Follow brushing and flossing with ProBioraKids oral-care probiotic.

If your child wants a last drink of milk or a bedtime snack, make sure brushing, flossing, and ProBioraKids comes afterwards so that they go to bed with their mouth in the healthiest possible condition. Using ProBiora for adults or kids is easy. “Simply let the tablet dissolve in your mouth, allowing the probiotics to effectively adhere to your teeth and gum, below the gum line,” according to the ProBiora website.

5. Make sure regular dental checkups are part of the family routine

In the same way you are instilling that every day should begin and every night should end with good oral care, make sure that the whole family goes to the dentist twice per year for regular cleanings and x-rays.

Here again, letting your kids see that you go to the dentist just like they do, without any fuss, is just another important way that you’re setting the standard for how your family commits to their overall health, long-term. kids grow, you’ll be setting them up for a lifetime of good health.

Content sponsored by ProBiora Health. Learn more about ProBioraKids and other oral-healthcare probiotics at probiorahealth.com.