Teach Your Kids The Basics Of Oral Care
As your kids starts getting older, you would most probably start instilling in them the need and importance of daily habits and practices. And one of those ‘everyday’ practices would be dental hygiene.
Teaching your kids the importance of oral care is extremely important for healthy development. In addition to teaching your kids the significance of brushing, flossing and rinsing; you will also need to teach them some important facts about dental cavities, tooth loss and other similar issues.
It is a well known fact that children learn best by examples. And so the best way to teach your kids about dental hygiene and its related terms is to use appropriate demonstrations to help them understand the concepts better. Here are a few tips you can use to do that.
Most of the time individuals tend to neglect their baby’s teeth, opting instead to brush them later on when the little one is about two years old or more. Definitely a wrong notion if you ask me! Baby teeth need to be cleaned on a regular basis and you can start cleaning them as soon as the teeth erupt.
Baby tooth enamel is much smaller than adult tooth enamel. Hence, a baby’s teeth will be more sensitive in addition to being more susceptible to cavities. Use soft wash clothes or gauze pads to clean your baby’s teeth at least twice a day.
Accordingly, you can use water or a drop of fluoride toothpaste for the cleaning process. Both these ingredients would clean the teeth and help soothe inflamed gums (during teething).
Parents should also start flossing their baby’s teeth as soon as they notice two teeth starting to touch each other. Regular flossing is the only way to chase away bacteria that might otherwise get stuck between the teeth. And the sooner you start, the better.
As and when your toddler turns one year old, arrange an appointment with a dentist. Having a dental checkup at an early age would enable you to find out if there are any issues that need to be taken care of. After the first appointment, you can arrange for regular dental checkups once every6 months.
When your kid turns 3, start teaching him/her the practice of brushing and flossing his/her own teeth. Use a soft toothbrush so that he/she doesn’t hurt himself/herself while brushing. It would be better if you brush along with him/her.
This would enable him/her to learn how to brush by imitating you. Accordingly, you can teach him/her to brush his/her teeth in a circular motion in addition to rinsing his/her mouth thoroughly with water before spitting it out.
When your kid turns 7, you can stop supervising him/her. However, this doesn’t give you the reason to be lethargic about his/her brushing habits. Keep constant tabs on his/her brushing habits to make sure that he/she is properly brushing and flossing his/her teeth.
Make sure to replace toothbrushes once every 6 months. The size of the toothbrush and its softness would be determined by your child’s age. It is best recommended to opt for brushes that have smaller heads and medium sized bristles.
Ever tried a plaque attack?Well why not try one now? In addition to giving you a general idea of how and why plaque is formed on the teeth, this test would enable you to check your kid’s brushing routine.
All you would need to do is mix a few drops of food coloring in about 3 tablespoons of water. Pour the mixture into your mouth and swish it around nicely. After about 10 seconds, spit it out. Without rinsing your mouth, use a mirror to find out the places where plaque has formed on the teeth. Accordingly, these places will be covered in red!
