Prevent tooth decay and ensure your child’s picture-perfect smile. Learn how you can teach your child proper dental hygiene while having fun!
Why Proper Dental Hygiene Is Important for Kids
Tooth decay is a common health issue among children. According to a study on early childhood caries (ECC) 10 percent of two-year-olds have tooth cavities. This number increases to 28 percent in three-year-olds and 50 percent in five-year-olds.
Tooth decay may not appear as a major threat to your children’s health compared to severe diseases like measles, but it is still important to maintain your children’s dental hygiene.
Maintaining good oral habits prevents plaque buildup. Plaque is the clear film of bacteria that naturally accumulates on teeth. These bacteria break down sugar from food like candies and cakes and turn them into acids. The acids gradually wear down enamel, the tooth’s natural protective cover, and in the long run, cause the holes that we call tooth cavities.
Aside from cavities, excessive plaque buildup may also lead to gingivitis, a gum disease characterized by sore, swollen, and red gums. When left untreated, it may even lead to tooth loss.
When to Start Teaching Your Child Good Oral Health Care
Although most newborns do not have teeth yet, you can begin taking care of your child’s oral health as soon as they are born. After feeding, gently clean your baby’s gums with a soft washcloth. When they start eating solids, try to stay away from sugary food to lessen the risk of tooth decay.
You can brush your child’s teeth the moment the first one appears. For children under three years, a grain-sized amount of toothpaste will do. Meanwhile, children between three to six years can brush with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
At the start of child dental hygiene training, you will have to do most of the work, but later on, you may let them practice brushing their own teeth with your supervision.
How to Teach Your Kids Good Dental Hygiene
Here are some important points about proper dental hygiene that you can share with your child:
- Brush your teeth at least twice every day: in the morning after breakfast and in the evening before going to bed.
- Don’t forget to brush the ones on the sides and the back. Children tend to only brush their front teeth because they are the most visible. You may encourage them to take care of the rest too by making up a game like “Find the hidden teeth.”
- Brushing should take time. Make sure each brushing session with your child is around two to three minutes. This may seem long for them, so try to make it fun. Read further below to learn a few tips and tricks that will get your child excited about brushing.
- Get a toothbrush with soft bristles to avoid causing damage to your child’s gums. Change their toothbrush every three months to make sure that it is still clean and does not have bacteria buildup. Take proper care of toothbrushes to prevent any issues.
- Flossing is uncomfortable at first, but it helps you clean the tricky, hard-to-reach parts of the teeth. Gently slide the dental floss between your child’s teeth and get rid of the bits of food stuck in between.
- Try different flavours of toothpaste. There is a wide variety your child can choose from if they do not like the minty taste of the regular ones.
- Do not swallow the toothpaste. They may have a difficult time following this, but keep reminding them to rinse their mouth and spit out the toothpaste. Excessive fluoride ingestion may cause white or brown spotting on your child’s permanent teeth.
- You can brush in any direction you like—up and down, forward and back, or around in circles. Contrary to a lot of advice you may have heard, there is no one brushing motion you should follow. What matters is that all teeth are covered and cleaned thoroughly.
Toothbrushing Games for Kids
Encourage your child to establish a dental routine with these tips:
- Let them have their pick. Children love feeling a sense of independence. Maybe you have heard yours proudly exclaim that they have done something “all by myself.” Tap into that desire, and offer them a variety of toothbrushes and toothpastes to choose from. Today, will it be the blue whale toothbrush or the yellow bear? Will it be the mint-flavoured toothpaste or the bubble gum one? To minimize resistance, let your child make choices that are significant to them.
- Hum a tune. Children can get easily distracted. It may be hard to keep them still for two to three minutes of brushing. To keep them on the task at hand, put on their favourite tunes. You can also search on any music platform for children’s brushing songs like this one.
- Bring in their best buds. Recruit the help of your child’s favorite toys. Place their teddy bear, dino friend, or any of their beloved stuffed toys by the sink to keep them company as they brush their teeth. Put on a friendly or silly voice, and pretend that you are Paddington Bear, Chomper the Dino, or any of their favorite characters. Talk through their friend about the importance of brushing or come up with creative scenarios. Paddington can go on a search for the hidden toothbrush cover or Chomper can go fight the cavity monster.
- Red Light, Green Light. To get your child to open their mouth wide, play this version of the game Red Light, Green Light. When they open their mouth, make a funny sound and make a silly face while you brush their teeth. When they close their mouth, freeze. Stay in this position until they open their mouth again.
The Benefits of Regular Dental Checkup
Regular trips to the dentist are part of good oral health care. Your dentist can help you with the following:
- Evaluate you and your child’s dental practices. Your dentist can gather information about your family’s lifestyle choices and practices that may affect you and your child’s oral health. For example, they can look into whether or not your family drinks fluoridated tap water, if your family snacks often, or if you let your child drink liquids other than water, like juice or milk, before going to bed. With this information, your dentist can advise you what to do and what to avoid to protect and maintain your child’s pearly whites.
- Teach your child the importance of taking good care of their teeth. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It helps to have someone else other than you, the parent, show your child the value of good oral health care. Because of their knowledge on the matter, your dentist can help you educate your child on how teeth work and why it is important to take good care of them.
- Detect dental issues early. With their dental tools, your dentist can spot the early signs of tooth decay and prevent or stop cavities. The earlier you spot them, the better because this will save you from an expensive treatment later.
We would love to help you and your child keep your picture-perfect smiles. Visit our kid-friendly and reliable children’s dental clinic at Springdale Dental Centre. Call us at (905) 458-1212 to book an appointment.
