Teaching Children to Brush Their Teeth

Parents know that healthy teeth and gums are an important part of their lives. When you do not care for them, your teeth can decay and sore gums can lead to tooth loss. Proper dental care is equally important for your child. Dentists agree that dental hygiene should begin before your child's first teeth even appear.

You can initiate oral hygiene with your child when he is an infant by cleaning his gums with a moistened cloth. When his first teeth appear, you should begin the practice of brushing them twice a day. Dentists recommend that you use fluoride toothpaste for children because adult brands can burn their mouths, and a soft-bristled brush. As soon as any two teeth begin to touch each other, you should include flossing in the routine.

Begin teaching your child how to brush his teeth during the toddler stage. If you provide him with a toothbrush and flosser with favorite character on them, he will show a greater interest in participating in the whole process. At this stage your child is still too young to effectively clean his teeth, so you will need to do the hard work before or after you child practices. When your child is around five years of age, he should be capable of starting to brush his teeth on his own; of course, under your supervision.

Here are a few steps to help you teach your child to brush and floss his teeth, and to take an important role in his own dental health:

1. Provide your child with a small toothbrush designed for children, and place a pea-size amount of toothpaste on the brush. Wet it with a little bit of water.
2. Beginning with the front teeth, use gentle circular strokes. Be certain to brush on all sides of the teeth.
3. Move to the back teeth. Dentists recommend brushing the back teeth for approximately 2-minuts. This is because the back teeth are prone to developing cavities before any other teeth due to their location.
4. Have your child take a sip of water (tell him no to swallow it!) to swish thoroughly around in his mouth, and then to spit all of it into the sink. A good swishing will help remove any additional food particles loosened by the brushing.
5. Your child should then complete the brushing process with a good brushing of the tongue to remove any bacteria, which is bad and can create sore gums and bad breath. Rinse the mouth with water once again.
6. You child should then use his flosser to floss between every tooth to further remove any remaining food particles, as well as to help prevent plaque. He should rinse his mouth one last time. Smile!

While brushing and flossing twice a day are necessary for a healthy smile, you can further protect your child's dental health. Do not allow a small child to go to bed with a bottle of anything other than water, and try to prevent your child from sucking on any fingers so they do not develop the need for orthodontic care as they reach adolescence. Also, try to keep your child from swallowing excess toothpaste on a regular basis because continuous ingestion of the fluoride can develop into Fluorosis, which results in white or brown spotting on the tooth surface.