Oral Hygiene is essential and it is important that you take care of your child’s mouth and teeth. Without proper care, your child can develop cavities, bad breath, and other oral diseases. Although baby teeth fall out eventually, they help your child chew food and also assist in speech development.
Here are some ways for helping your child maintain good oral hygiene:
- Make sure that your child brushes his/her teeth at least two times a day.
- Always use a child’s toothbrush as they’re smaller and also soft on the developing gums.
- In the first 12 months, only wipe the child’s gums with a clean cloth. When the first set of teeth appear, wipe the surface gently with a toothbrush and some water.
- Let your child start using toothpaste when they are around two years old.
- Sweet food shouldn’t be left to linger around the teeth for too long as it can cause cavities.
- If the child has wiggly teeth by the age of 6, let him/her wiggle the tooth so that it falls off without much pain or bleeding.
If you are wondering how you could teach your little one to bush his/her teeth, here’s some information that can help you teach your child the right way of brushing teeth. In the beginning, brush their teeth yourself and slowly teach them the right way to do it.
- Keep the brush angled at 45 degrees to your child’s gums.
- Move the brush back and forth gently.
- Brush all the surfaces of your child’s teeth (outer, inner and chewing areas).
- To clean the inner surface thoroughly, you can hold the brush vertically and move it up and down.
- Brush the tongue to remove any bacteria.
- You can also include the use of dental floss to ensure that your child stays away from cavities.
- Take about 18 inches of floss and wrap both ends of it on either of your middle fingers.
- Hold the floss between your thumb and forefingers and insert the floss inside your child’s teeth.
- While holding the floss in a C-shape, gently rub the floss while keeping it pressed against the tooth.
- Make sure that you floss all the teeth and get the jaw teeth too.
In case of any concerns about your child’s health, feel free to make an enquiry with us or book an appointment online.
