Teeth cleaning for children at home just in few simple steps
We all know that parents want to provide the best care for their children, but brushing their teeth can be difficult at times!
So here it is: How to Clean Your Child’s Teeth by BeDental
Teeth cleaning for children at home
0 – 18 MONTHS
- Even before your baby has teeth coming through, you can start to gently clean their gums with a wet
- When their first teeth erupt, usually between 4 and 10 months, you can start to use a small, soft bristle toothbrush
- At this stage, you do not need toothpaste, but it is recommended to clean their teeth twice a day
- Introduce toothpaste around the age of 18 months, beginning with a toothpaste designed for children under the age of two.
- At this age, the right amount of toothpaste to use is the size of a grain of rice
18 MONTHS – 3 YEARS
- Begin to use a toothpaste with a higher concentration of fluoride, with ages 2-5 or even 6+ on the box but make sure they don’t swallow the toothpaste
- Make sure they spit out the excess toothpaste, but do not get them to rinse with water
- Use toothpaste the size of a pea
- Be brave in the battle to brush their teeth – it is so important to brush their teeth twice a day or tooth decay may set in!
- You can also introduce tooth floss at this age – or whenever you see two teeth are touching together. Lay your child’s head onto your knees and use a flossette to help you
3 – 7 YEARS
- If possible, switch to adult toothpaste, making sure your child does not swallow it and thoroughly spits out any excess after brushing.
- You can also begin to teach your child how to brush their teeth effectively on their own. That is, brushing with small back and forth, massaging motions, or circles, making sure to brush around the gumline both on the outside and inside of the teeth.
- You will still need to brush and floss their teeth during these ages as they will not be able to do a perfect job until around 7 or 8 years of age.
8+ YEARS
They are now old enough to do their own brushing and flossing! However, continue to supervise and check in on a regular basis to ensure that they are doing a good job!
Remember to take your children to the dentist every six months to ensure that they are brushing properly and are cavity-free! We can even teach them how to brush their teeth and use plaque-disclosing tablets to show them where they can make improvements.
Here is brushing technique to follow
The proper brushing technique is to:
- Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums.
- Gently move the brush back and forth in short (tooth-wide) strokes.
- Brush the outer surfaces, the inner surfaces, and the chewing surfaces of the teeth.
- To clean the inside surfaces of the front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make several up-and-down strokes.
Here is flossing technique to follow
- Wind: Wind 18 inches of floss around one hand’s middle or index finger, whichever you prefer, and a small amount around the other hand’s middle or index finger. (Using your middle finger frees up your index finger for floss manipulation.) That may seem excessive, but you only need enough to keep a clean segment in place as you move from tooth to tooth. Pinch the floss between your thumbs and index fingers, leaving a one- to two-inch gap. Direct floss between upper teeth with your thumbs.
- Guide: Keep a one- to two-inch length of floss taut between fingers. Use index fingers to guide floss between contacts of the lower teeth.
- Glide: Gently guide floss between the teeth by using a zig-zag motion. Be careful not to let the floss snap or “pop” between teeth. Contour floss around the side of the tooth, making a C shape with the floss as you wrap it around the tooth.
- Slide: Floss against the tooth surface and under the gum line, making sure to floss the back side of each tooth. As you move from one tooth to the next, unroll a fresh section of floss from one hand’s finger while rolling the used floss onto the other hand’s finger. As a guide, use your thumb.
SEE MORE:
Water flossers: The 8 best water flossers of 2023
Electric Toothbrushes: The Best Electric Toothbrushes of 2023
Tongue Scrapers: 7 benefits you should know
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