Oral Health Tips for Kids, Part 2

How you care for your child’s teeth will affect their ability to learn and to grow up healthy. By encouraging good oral health habits in your family, you will keep your child’s teeth healthy and strong and give them a smile to treasure for a lifetime. Below are some tips to help keep your child’s mouth healthy.

Choosing a Toothbrush
There are so many toothbrushes available, the choice can be overwhelming for some parents. The following are recommendations to help you make the right choice:

• Choose the correct size, based on age (most toothbrush packages are now labeled for the appropriate age group)
 
• Choose a toothbrush with soft, round-tipped, nylon bristles. Medium or hard bristles can injure gums and wear down tooth enamel (this is true for adults as well).

• Replace your child’s toothbrush when the bristles look bent or worn, usually between two to four months of use, depending on the brand

• Let your child help them select their own toothbrush. Kids are more interested in brushing if they are involved in the process
 
• Electric toothbrushes are popular with children and are very effective. Many of the electric tootbrushes also have a built-in timer function, to remind children to brush for two full minutes.

Choosing ToothpasteToothpaste is another important tool in fighting tooth decay.  Do you know how much (if any) to use?
 
• Newborns without teeth should have their mouths wiped with a moist washcloth, after all meals.
 
• Once the first tooth appears in the mouth, depending on your child’s cavity-risk, it can be appropriate to use a “smear” of children’s toothpaste containing fluoride, on the bristles of a wet toothbrush.

• Usually around 2 years of age, children can begin using a pea size amount of children’s toothpaste.
 
• Children should be taught at an early age how to spit out their toothpaste, in order to not swallow the contents.

Proper Techniques for You and Your Children• Adults should help brush their child’s teeth until the ages of 6 or 7, depending on the ability of the child to correctly use their toothbrush.
 
• Try to place the brush at a 45-degree angle to the tooth and use a gentle scrubbing/circular motion technique.
 
• Brush all surfaces of the teeth including the area near the gum line.
 
• Apply gentle pressure while brushing.
 
• Encourage your child to brush for at least 2 minutes, 2 times a day.