Starting to teach your kid to brush their teeth?
From the appearance of their first baby tooth at around six months, it is important to teach your kid to brush their teeth. TEST
By teaching your kids to brush your teeth now, you’ll set them up for a lifetime of health. To help you get there, today we’re sharing the fundamentals of brushing and flossing teeth.
Watch Dr. Greene and His Son Show You How to Brush
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Benefits Of Brushing Kid’s Teeth Early
As soon as that first baby tooth pops up, plaque can begin building up on its surface.
That plaque and tartar buildup can lead to cavities. Beyond the discomfort and pain that can come with cavities, there could be lasting effects for your child.
Not only do decayed teeth affect nutrition and speech development, they can also lead to crooked permanent teeth.
Even though baby teeth do eventually fall out, ensuring those teeth are healthy sets the stage for years of healthy teeth.
Teach Your Kid To Brush Their Teeth Next To You
Now you know you’ll start brushing your children’s teeth around six months of age. But when can they take over their own brushing responsibilities?
That depends on a few factors. As a general rule of thumb, children are ready to brush their own teeth between the ages of six and nine.
Each family will make their own decision, but it’s common to think about it according to three factors:
- Spitting: Can your child spit out the excess toothpaste while they’re brushing? Being able to spit it out (instead of swallowing it) is crucial to being able to brush teeth without supervision.
- Dexterity: Can your child tie their own shoelaces? This is often a good sign to show there is enough control in their fingers and hands to teach your kid how to brush their teeth on their own.
- Accountability: Does your child take care of themselves? This could be habits like washing their hands, making their bed, or getting their clothes ready for school. Showing this reliability is a sign they’re ready to remember to consistently brush their teeth.
If they are under the age of six, or still working on mastering one of the above elements, then you can work on brushing their teeth with them.
To Teach Your Kid To Brush Their Teeth Can Be Difficult
Easy Ways To Get Your Kid’s Teeth Clean
An effective way to get your children’s teeth cleaned is to have them think about each tooth as having three sides:
- The Smile Side – That’s what everyone sees when we smile
- The Chewing Side – That’s the side we eat our food with
- The Tongue Side – That’s the side our tongue touches
Standing behind your child, make sure to use a circular motion to brush each surface of our children’s teeth.
Just like adults, it’s recommended to brush children’s teeth twice a day: first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
For kids who haven’t mastered spitting and those with baby teeth, it’s advisable to use a grain of rice-sized amount of toothpaste. This helps to clean the teeth, but is okay to be ingested.
For those who can spit while they brush, you can apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to the brush.
When To Floss Your Kid’s Teeth
Not all kids will need to floss their teeth. With baby teeth, flossing is only necessary if there are a lot of teeth close together that can trap food.
If your child has a mix of baby and adult teeth, they should floss every single tooth.
The proper flossing motion is to move the floss or the floss pick up and down. A sawing motion isn’t necessary, and can actually cause discomfort or pain.
First Comes Brushing Their Teeth, Then Comes Their First Dental Visit
About six months after you start brushing your children’s teeth, it could be time for their first dental appointment. Just like regular teeth brushing sets up a lifetime of good habits and dental health, regular checkups do, too.
Piney Orchard Dental is your friendly neighborhood family dentist. We offer treatment and care to patients of all ages?
For any questions about your children’s oral hygiene, how to teach your or to set up an appointment – we encourage you to get in touch with our team today.
