{"id":2710,"date":"2025-09-04T07:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T07:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2710"},"modified":"2025-09-08T19:19:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T19:19:44","slug":"back-to-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/back-to-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to school"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If the weather over the last few days is anything to go by, one thing is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Summer is over<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are hints everywhere that Autumn is on its way \u2013 the evenings are getting darker, the leaves are beginning to brown, and \u2013 of course \u2013 the pavements are full of children on their way to school once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you\u2019ve got a child under your care at home, you\u2019ll want to ensure that they start this year as they mean to go on, building routines that\u2019ll keep them happy and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, here\u2019s our starter for 10, from a dentist\u2019s perspective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Rethink the packed lunch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s tempting to include a treat every day \u2014 but sticky snacks linger on teeth and increase decay risk. Try crunchy carrots, cheese cubes or natural yogurt instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Make brushing fun<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brushing doesn\u2019t have to be boring. Try sticker charts, music, or apps like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Brush DJ &#8211; Plays 2 minutes of music to make brushing fun<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Toothsavers &#8211; Game where kids brush to save characters<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Disney MagicTimer &#8211; Reveals Disney characters as kids brush<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Chomper Chums &#8211; Care for animals by making healthy choices<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Brush Up &#8211; Animated coach teaches proper brushing<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Stock up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t get caught short. Toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss are just as important as school shoes. Keep spares on hand for when things get lost or run out unexpectedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Protect that smile<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your child plays sports, a fitted mouthguard can prevent painful (and costly) dental injuries \u2013 one less thing to worry about on the sidelines!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. Lead by example<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brush and floss together. Visit the dentist together. They\u2019ll copy what they see \u2014 and routines now last a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oral care isn\u2019t just for the start of the school year \u2014 it\u2019s a year-round habit. By making these small changes now, you\u2019re not just setting them up for the term ahead, but for a lifetime of confident, healthy smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For personalised guidance and to make sure your child\u2019s teeth are happy, healthy and that you catch any issues early, you can book their next checkup with us below<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/onlineappointment.carestack.uk\/?dn=brightside&amp;ln=1#\/home\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"104\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-06.25.34-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-06.25.34-1.png 646w, https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-06.25.34-1-300x48.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the weather over the last few days is anything to go by, one thing is clear: Summer is over. There are hints everywhere that Autumn is on its way \u2013 the evenings are getting darker, the leaves are beginning to brown, and \u2013 of course \u2013 the pavements are full of children on their &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/back-to-school\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Back to school<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}