Pediatric Dentistry

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Tooth Brushing

girl brushing her teethBrushing and Flossing Instructions

Children’s hands and mouths are different than adults. They need to use toothbrushes designed for children. Both adults and children should use brushes with soft, rounded bristles for gentle cleaning. Change to a new brush about every three months.

Infants/babies:  Wipe the baby’s gums with a clean, wet, gauze pad or wash cloth after each feeding.  This removes food particles that can harm erupting teeth and helps the child grow accustomed to having his or her mouth cleaned.  Begin brushing your baby’s teeth with water as soon as the first tooth appears.  Continue cleaning and massaging the gums and all other areas that remain toothless.  Replace the toothbrush when the bristles become warn or frayed.  Fluoridated tooth paste should not be used before the child’s 2nd birthday. 

Toddler:  For most toddlers, getting them to brush their teeth can be quite a challenge.

Some suggestions for making tooth brushing less of a battle can include:

  1. letting them brush your teeth at the same time
  2. letting them pick out a few toothbrushes with their favorite characters and giving them a choice of which one they want to use each time (this will give them some feeling of control over the situation)
  3. let them brush their own teeth first (you will likely have to "help out").  
  4. read some children's books about tooth brushing.
  5. Or have everyone brush their teeth at the same time.   

To help them understand the importance of brushing, it can be sometimes fun and helpful to let him eat or drink something that will 'stain' his teeth temporarily, and then let him brush them clean.
It can also be a good idea to create a "tooth brushing routine" And stick to the same routine each day.

Child:  Begin to teach your child to brush.  First, allow your child to practice brushing while being supervised.  Then, finish each tooth brushing session with the adult care-giver brushing the child’s teeth.  This will ensure that the majority of the plaque(soft debris) is removed from the child’s teeth.