Teaching Your Child Proper Dental Care
It is hard enough to get your child calmed down enough at night and ready for bed. Throw in the need for brushing their teeth and the whole process can leave your child ready for a major meltdown. Proper dental care is important for your child, even at a very young age. It is important to instill the foundations of good dental care from the time your child gets his or first tooth.
You may think that brushing one tooth in a six-month-old baby’s mouth sounds silly. It is not. In fact, this is the perfect time to start teaching your child about how to take care of that precious smile. Even infants can suffer from tooth decay. The first step is to find a soft toothbrush that is specially designed for infants and gently clean the area two times a day. It is not recommended that you use “adult” toothpaste on a child that young, but there are pastes out there that are formulated for babies. If you have problems getting a toothbrush small enough, try a rubbing the tooth with a clean, damp washcloth.
As your child gets older, you will still want to help him or her with their brushing technique. Children often have dexterity problems getting that brush in there the right way. It is not because they don’t want to brush–they may just have problems doing it the right way. Here are some great tips for getting your child to brush properly:
Let your child pick out a toothbrush. There are so many different types of brushes that are available. Take your child to the store and find one that has his or her favorite cartoon character or action hero. There are also all different kinds of toothpaste out there, too. Just make sure that you find one that is labeled ADA approved and one that has added fluoride.
Get a timer: It is a known fact that children do not take enough time when they brush. They rush through the process, barely getting the toothbrush in there at all. You can help buy purchasing a two-minute timer. Dentists recommend that children spend at least two minutes brushing their teeth. If you child has a timer, he or she will know when to stop brushing. You can even purchase special toothbrushes that will stay on for a full two minutes, or brushed that light up for two minutes. When the light goes off, your child knows they have brushed long enough.
Make flossing easy: Kids can sometimes have a difficult time learning to floss with regular string floss. It is hard to wrapped it around the fingers and get it in the mouth just the right way. Flossing is just as important as brushing, so buy some of the special flossers with handles. These flossers make getting the teeth clean easier than ever.
Regular check ups: You child needs to see a dentist on a regular basis. Many kids have fears about going to the dentist. Find a good pediatric dentist in your area and start taking your child at a young age. When you start early, you child is less likely to experience fears about going to the dentist. In addition, if you start check ups early, your child is off to a good start when it comes to dental health.
