Oral Hygiene starts at a very early age. Depending on the age of the child, and its ability to comprehend, you can adopt a variety of tactics.
Here are a few suggestions for Toddlers
- Make sure that your child is brushing twice a day.
- As children get older and more independent (usually around 3-4 years of age), encourage them to brush by themselves, but supervise and make sure that they are brushing all surfaces of the teeth.
- Use a soft bristled tooth brush and water till age 2 because of the risk of swallowing toothpaste. Use a pea size amount of tooth paste in children 3 and above. After brushing, encourage them to spit out thus avoiding ingestion of excessive amounts of fluoride.
- Parents should floss children's teeth up till age 8, which is when they develop the dexterity to do it by themselves. You can buy child sized flossing tools at most drug stores.
- Take your child for a professional cleaning visit every 6 months.
I have covered other issues regarding children dental care in my blog, http://www.amberlyfamilydentistry.com/Soccer.html
Cheers
Dr. Meena Chelury, DDS
www.AmberlyFamilyDentistry.com