Oral Hygiene Instructions for Children
When should I start brushing and flossing my baby’s teeth?
Begin brushing your child’s teeth as soon as the first tooth erupts. Flossing should begin when all baby teeth have erupted and have tight contacts. After each feeding, wipe the child’s teeth and gums with a damp washcloth or gauze pad, to remove plaque from birth.
What type of tooth brush should I use?
Use a soft, age appropriate sized tooth brush
What type of tooth paste should my child use?
Most international paediatric dentistry organizations currently recommend that children should brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. To prevent the children from ingesting too much fluoride, the parents should dispense the tooth paste for their children
How much toothpaste should my child use?
For children under two years old, a smear layer of fluoride toothpaste should be used, for ages 2-5 years, a pea sized amount is recommended.
When should my child start brushing and flossing their own teeth?
Young children do not have the ability to brush and floss their own teeth effectively. The parents should brush and floss their children’s teeth twice daily until they are old enough to brush on their own. Usually children do not have the manual dexterity to clean the plaque effectively until they are 8 years or older. This differs for every child. A transitional period of supervised brushing by the parents can be done until the parent and the paediatric dentist are confident that the child can properly and effectively remove the plaque from their teeth.
How should I brush my child’s teeth?
Use short, gentle, horizontal or circular strokes for 2 minutes to clean all the tooth surfaces, paying extra attention to the gum line and hard to reach back teeth. Tooth brushing must be done twice daily: before breakfast and after dinner before the child goes to sleep.
How to floss my child’s teeth?
When teeth are in tight contact, the tooth brush alone cannot remove the food remnants and bacteria trapped between teeth that can begin the process of tooth decay. Dental floss is used to remove this trapped food and bacteria. As a result, the teeth and the gums stay healthy and decay free. There are many different types of floss available in the market that can be effective if used correctly. The waxed type can be easier to use and gentler on the child’s gums. A holder for the floss might make the access easier for the parents.
