A parent’s primary concern is to inculcate the best practices in their progeny. Oral hygiene practices feature one amongst these.
This is because your child’s oral hygiene is an essential component of well-managed parenting. Teaching your kids about oral hygiene practices ensures the development of healthy habits at an early stage.
This article delves into the ten oral hygiene practices you should make your children practice. It elucidates the need for cavity prevention and DIY teeth whitening.
1. Appropriate Toothbrush Selection
First and foremost, choose a fun toothbrush before you initiate with the discretion of making your kids develop oral hygiene practices.
By fun toothbrush, it means that your child’s toothbrush must be customized as per their innocent preference. For this, you can opt for toothbrushes with images of Barbie dolls, superman, spider-man, etc.
Toothbrushes with the aforementioned designs will boost your child’s interest to wake up in the morning and brush their teeth while enjoying with their favorite Disney characters.
2. Time their Brushing
As per the dental pediatrics, you must time the duration period while your children brush. This helps in maintaining their tooth and gum textures while intense cleansing their oral tissues.
According to endodontics, children must brush their teeth for about two minutes. To add more flavor to this brushing routine, you can play your child’s favorite song to make this daily habit an enjoyable session for your kids.
3. The Uses of Fluoride
Fluoride features an essential formula to take care of your child’s oral hygiene. The use of fluoride curtails cavities in the milk/temporary teeth of children.
For this reason, select a toothpaste comprising fluoride as an ingredient. This will eventually ensure the oral hygiene of your kids and make their teeth more durable and sharper.
However, be careful with the quantity of fluoride required for this purpose. It is advisable to use a pinch amount of fluoride-based toothpaste.
Do not increase the quantity as excessive fluoride may damage or stain your child’s teeth. Also, do not allow your child to swallow the toothpaste and make them rinse it off thoroughly with fresh water.
4. Brush Properly
You must be extremely careful while brushing your child’s teeth. For infants, select a soft toothbrush and use an anti-fluoride toothpaste.
This is because, at this stage, your progeny cannot spit out the toothpaste and may swallow it. For this reason, use a mild toothbrush and toothpaste for the tender teeth and gums for your child.
Next, when your child is about 7 to 8 years of age, opt for a branded toothpaste with fluoride as an ingredient. At this stage, teach your child the art of brushing.
Teach them how to brush around the entire oral cavity with zigzag motions across the gums and the tongue region. Finally, make them learn how to spit out the toothpaste and rinse their mouth.
Also, when they grow up, try to keep supervision on their brushing habits and techniques. Make your children brush at least twice a day and ask them to rinse their mouth before and after meals.
5. Replace Old Toothbrushes
Dental pediatrics suggest parents replace their children’s toothbrushes every 3-6 months. This is due to the worn-out bristles of the previous toothbrush, which may damage the thin inner lining of their oral cavity.
Besides, this method of substituting old toothbrushes also helps in fighting with oral microbes and bacteria, which may house on the surface of their toothbrushes over some time.
6. Prevent Cavities
Cavities usually occur due to bacterial infections within the roots and other inner regions of a tooth. These are small back holes penetrated deep within the oral tooth spaces.
Cavities may lead to severe pain or even root canal treatments if not cured in time.
Your child may be at risk for cavities for the following reasons:
- Does not visit the dentist often.
- Have brown areas in and around their teeth and gum region
- Have other ongoing health issues
- Has a high intake of sugar
To prevent cavities, reduce the intake of sugar, soda, fizzy drinks, etc. in your children. This is because sticky foodstuffs and sugar remain within the tooth cavities for longer durations, thus causing severe damage to the oral tissues.
To curb the above menace, supplement your children with a proper diet and nourishment and help in the sustainable development of their teeth and gums.
7. Whiten their teeth
The natural or at-home teeth whitening for kids is a significant aspect of maintaining their oral hygiene. Hydrogen Peroxide products exercise an incredible function if it removes plaque from your child’s teeth.
By coating, a thin layer of hydrogen peroxide solution can prevent the yellowing of teeth and help in maintaining their natural white shine. Additionally, a pea-sized fluoride toothpaste twice a day can also help in building the lustrous appearance of your kid’s teeth.
8. Dental Checkups
Visit an expert orthodontic pediatrician for a proper dental checkup of your child. Opt for these regular dental checkups once in every three months or as per individual requirements.
As a part of the checkup, your dentist shall ensure the proper development of their teeth and gums. The dentists may even furnish healthcare advice as per their oral hygiene conditions.
9. Motivate your Children
At the initial stages, while teaching your toddlers to brush and floss, motivate them to do better. You should pat their backs every time they successfully brush and show you their white and shining teeth.
This will eventually help them learn faster and maintain regular oral hygiene practices.
10. Brush Together
Last but not least, there can be no better way to teach than you following the same habit with them. It means that you must brush along with your children and demonstrate them this art by setting yourself as an example.
This will further help your child to learn directly from their parents and practice an essential habit the way you perform in front of them.
Summing Up
Altogether, appropriate dental care practices are paramount to maintain the oral hygiene of your offsprings. To teach them this technique and make them practice it sincerely, you must follow the aforementioned suggestions.
In a nutshell, initiate practicing these ten oral hygiene techniques and see how your kids pick up new and needful habits and make you proud.
However, if you need further guidance on how you can teach your kids effective dental practices, you can check out this dentist in Tarzana now or one near you.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
