How to teach your child to Brush Their Teeth

DENTISTRY|DENTAL TREATMENTS| Dental Ideas posted by - Dr.Srinivas B.D.S

How to teach your child to Brush Their Teeth:

When to Start Brushing

It’s essential to begin brushing your child’s teeth at an early age, to both form good habits and to promote long-term oral health. You can even begin before the first tooth appears. With infants, it’s important to keep the gums clean. Gently wipe your baby’s gums with a soft cloth and water after each feeding. If you can, move from a cloth to a wet, infant-sized toothbrush with soft bristles — beginning your child with a toothbrush eliminates a sometimes tricky transition from cloths to toothbrushes. Another benefit to cleaning your infant’s gums is that the light pressure from the rubbing can give relief from the aches and pains of teething.

A child’s teeth may come in earlier than you think. For some kids, the first tooth appears when they’re 6 or 7 months old. As soon as that first tooth shows up, start a brushing routine. It’s best to brush teeth twice a day, preferably in the morning after breakfast and before bed at night.

How to Brush Teeth Correctly

Before you start teaching your child how to brush their teeth, take a moment to double-check you’re cleaning your teeth correctly. According to the American Dental Association, the proper toothbrushing technique lasts a minimum of two minutes and includes the following steps:

Begin by tilting your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gums. The angle is important — it will target the areas near the gum line where plaque accumulates most.
Next, gently move the brush in tooth-wide strokes, scrubbing back and forth over the teeth.
With this rhythm, brush the inner surfaces, outer surfaces and chewing surfaces of the teeth.
To reach the inside surfaces of the front teeth, tilt your toothbrush vertically and brush in vertical motions.
Brush the surface of the tongue to scrub off bacteria and food debris.
You should brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time. The same applies to children, but the technique will vary slightly depending on the age of the child.

1. Infants

For infants, clean the gums and mouth after each feeding to reduce the buildup of sugars from food or milk and make it harder for bacteria to grow. Use a clean wet cloth or xylitol wipe until the child grows their first tooth — at this point, switch to an infant-sized, soft-bristled toothbrush. Beginning your child on a toothbrush instead of cloths or wipes can reduce the chance of them reacting poorly to toothbrushes later.

2. Toddlers

Although they have adorable toothy grins, toddlers don’t yet have a full set of teeth. To care for their growing teeth and tender gums, use a pea-sized amount of flouride toothpaste. If your child is younger than 2 or has trouble spitting, use an even smaller, rice-sized amount — it won’t be harmful if they swallow it.

Find a comfortable position for both you and your child. Some children find it easiest to sit or lie down in their parents’ laps, while some prefer to stand on a stepstool.
Angle the toothbrush 45 degrees toward the gum line and move it back and forth with short strokes.
Begin cleaning the inner surfaces of the teeth before moving to the outer and chewing surfaces.
Because you’re using just a small amount of toothpaste, it is okay if your child swallows it.

3. Children

After reaching their third birthday, your child will have a full set of baby teeth. They’re now old enough to begin learning how to brush their teeth themselves. Because young children don’t have the motor skills to expert tooth-brushers, this learning process will span years — often until they’re between 6 and 8 years old.

You or your child should angle the brush 45 degrees toward the gums.
Using short strokes, move the toothbrush back and forth along every tooth’s interior and exterior.
Angle the tip of the brush upright to clean the hard-to-reach areas behind the top and bottom teeth.
Brush the tongue to scrub away bacteria.

When a child is old enough to brush their teeth, you should still inspect them regularly to see if your kid is missing any areas. As a general rule of thumb, keep brushing your child’s teeth, at least occasionally, until they are 7 years old.

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