Instilling good oral hygiene habits in their early years can significantly improve your son or daughter’s chances of maintaining a healthy mouth in adulthood. To aid in this effort the American Dental Association recommends brushing and flossing your child’s teeth each day.
You should start as soon as their first teeth emerge from the gums. Brushing twice and flossing once each day can help reduce their chances of suffering cavities and gum health problems while also establishing a healthy daily habit.
Providing them with a toothbrush and toothpaste themed by their favorite cartoon character can easily encourage their passion for brushing their own teeth. Once they are done playing at brushing you can take a turn going over any potentially missed areas.
Small children often struggle with the technical dexterity needed to floss with traditional dental floss. Providing them with a small floss stick with waxed dental floss. The wax coating will help them slide the strand into place with little force. Snapping dental floss between their teeth could injure their gums and create an air of anxiety when flossing in the future.
As they get older and their manual dexterity improves you can demonstrate how your floss. This might give them the courage to try flossing their own teeth without a floss stick.
If you live in the Austin, Texas, area and you have concerns about your child’s oral hygiene, you should call 512-732-0022 to schedule an appointment at Westlake Pediatric Dentistry.
