Advice from a pediatric dentist in San Diego about brushing and flossing

Brushing

To promote good dental health habits in your children, teach them – early on – what constitutes optimal oral hygiene. Here are 6 easy guidelines for brushing their teeth:

1. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and a small strip of fluoride toothpaste. As soon as the bristles start to wear down or fray, replace your toothbrush with a new one.

2. Move the brush in a small circular motions to reach food particles that may be under your gum line.

3. Hole the toothbrush at an angle and brush slowly and carefully, covering all areas between your teeth and the surface of each tooth.

4. It should take several minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth. Brush up on the lower teeth, down on the upper teeth, and don’t forget the outside, inside, and chewing surface of all of your front and back teeth.

5. Brush your tongue and the roof of your moth before you rinse.

6. Do not swallow any toothpaste and rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after you finish brushing.

Your children (and you) should brush their teeth four times a day to avoid the accumulation of food particles and plaque:

* In the morning after breakfast

* After lunch or right after school

* After dinner

* At bedtime

Flossing

You know that there are areas between your teeth that a toothbrush can’t reach. That is  why it is important to use dental floss – it removes food particles and plaque that you toothbrush can’t. A thin thread of waxed nylon that is used to reach below the gum line and clean between teeth, dental floss should be used every day.

Here are 5 points for teaching your children how to floss:

1. Pull a small length of floss from the dispenser.

2. Wrap the ends of the floss tightly around your middle fingers.

Guide the floss between all teeth to the gum line, pulling out any food particles or plaque.

Unwrap clean floss from around your fingers as you go, so that you have used the floss from beginning to end when you finish.

5. Floss behind all of your back teeth.

Don’t forget! Floss at night to make sure your teeth are squeaky clean before you go to bed.

When your children first begin flossing, explain to them that their gums may bleed a little.

Posted via email from The Super Dentists's Blog