With everyone starting to get ready for the new school year, the team at Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre look at the vital part a good oral hygiene routine plays in keeping teeth healthy from an early age.
In this article the team look at some tips to ensure your children’s teeth stay in tip top condition.
Brushing thoroughly
Get your child to imagine their mouth is divided into four segments and they
need to brush each segment for 30 seconds. This will mean that it is more likely that they will brush all the surfaces of their teeth. If you think they have missed any teeth, follow up by brushing their teeth yourself when they have finished.
Brushing for long enough
Many young children have no concept of how long two minutes is. A great way to ensuring that they are brushing for the required length of time is to introduce a fun timer using their favourite song, an egg timer, or an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer. This way they get a clear idea of how long they need to be brushing their teeth for.
Brushing Routinely
Making brushing fun is the best way to ensure successful brushing.
- Make a special toothbrush holder.
- Brush along to a favourite song.
- Fill in a brushing reward chart every day leading to a reward at the end of the month.
Top tips for children’s teeth brushing.
- Use a toothbrush recommended by your dental team and get your children to choose their favourite colours or characters.
- Use a suitable fluoride strength toothpaste for their age group:
- Under three years old – 1000ppm
- Over three years old – 1350-1500ppm
- Find a toothpaste that they like the flavour of
- Brush for two minutes, twice a day. This should be last thing at night and on one other occasion during the day – usually in the morning.
- Divide brushing into four sections in the mouth and brush each quadrant for 30 seconds – upper left, upper right, lower right, lower left.
- Brush in a circular motion and brush each surface of each tooth – tops and sides.
- Spit the toothpaste out after brushing but do not rinse. Rinsing washes away the protective fluoride
If you would like some more help and advice on ensuring your children’s teeth stay healthy, call Maidstone Dental & Implant Centre on 01622 682 029 and book an appointment today, all our staff are highly experienced dealing with children and can ensure that any visit is fun and stress free!
