A Parent’s Guide to Tooth Brushing: Teaching Kids Healthy Habits Early
As a pediatric dentistry clinic, we often hear this question: “How do I teach my child to brush their teeth?” Most of us learned to brush our teeth at such a young age that we don’t remember our parents teaching us how to do it. You might brush your teeth diligently every day, but you’re starting from scratch when it’s time to instill these good habits in your children. Developing these habits early on can mean a lifetime of better oral health for your child. Here are some pointers to help you with this process.
Be Patient
The most important thing to remember is that this is a process that is going to take years — not days. Small children lack the fine motor skills to brush their teeth properly until they’re around 7 or 8. Until then, you’ll be doing a lot of the heavy lifting. You should start brushing your baby’s teeth as soon as the first erupts, using an infant-sized brush and a tiny dab of toothpaste. Floss your baby’s teeth once a day as soon as they have two teeth that are touching.
As they get older and they can hold the toothbrush themselves, let them brush on their own — even if they’re doing it slightly wrong! A review of the scientific literature has found that until kids are 6 or 7 years old, straight horizontal brushing is what they are most capable of and will be most effective. They lack the coordination to do vertical brushing until around 7 or 8. Let them brush their teeth independently, and then help them do a quick “finish” with vertical strokes. Don’t get frustrated because this process takes a long time.
Refresh Your Memory on How to Brush
As adults, we don’t think about how we brush our teeth. We’ve been doing it for so long that we now do it unconsciously (or sometimes half-asleep!). Here’s a quick refresher on what you should be doing so you can in turn teach your children how to do it:
- Hold the brush against the gumline at a 45-degree angle.
- Brush back and forth in small strokes.
- Start at the gumline and work your way down on each tooth.
- Brush the outside, the chewing surface, and the inner surface of each tooth.
- Spend two minutes brushing your teeth.
- Brush the tongue from back to front to finish the process.
- Brush at least twice daily — once in the morning and before bed.
Brush Your Teeth Together
Kids love mimicking mom or dad when they do “grownup” things, so make tooth brushing a fun family activity that you do together. They’ll learn just by watching you, but you also want to explain what you do as you brush your teeth. They’ll absorb the lessons over time. Doing it together allows you to monitor them as they’re brushing. As mentioned above, take their brush and finish the process to ensure they get a good, complete brushing. One way to make this even more fun and memorable for them is to let them brush their teeth occasionally.
Use the Right Tools
A child-sized toothbrush is much easier for little kids to handle and fits in their mouth comfortably. It’s also essential to use child-friendly toothpaste with a flavor they enjoy. A branded toothbrush with their favorite cartoon character or colors on it will help keep them excited about the process.
Little kids don’t have a great sense of how long two minutes is. Purchase a timer with an alarm or use a smartphone app to time them and make sure they spend the full two minutes brushing.
Watch Toothbrushing Videos
Watching videos about proper toothbrushing techniques can help cement the process if your child is a visual learner. YouTube can be a parent’s best friend for this. Watch some fun videos together and talk about why brushing your teeth every day is so important.
Contact Us for Pediatric Dentistry in Ponte Vedra
One of the most critical steps for lifelong oral health is keeping up with professional cleanings. If it’s time for your child’s next checkup, Contact Us at Ponte Vedra Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics to schedule an appointment.