This is a sponsored guest post.
If you care about your child’s oral hygiene and health, then you should know that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease found in almost third of every five-year-old today. It’s quite a shocking statistic even though tooth decay is actually preventable.
Don’t assume that just because your child loses their baby teeth and grows a pair of permanent ones, that they are free to eat and drink whatever goes in their mouths. This means apart from tooth decay, your child’s mouth will be susceptible to a number of dental-related illnesses.
So if you want to give your young one’s oral health a bright, shiny and healthy future, here’s what you have to do:
1. Start Right There And Then
You need to start tutoring your ward on how to wield a toothbrush as soon as their first teeth start showing up. This is necessary as both breast and formula milk consist of sugar and can cause tooth decay. But if you’re going to use toothpaste, get one that contains fluoride, which is especially helpful in preventing and controlling tooth decay.
Boots pharmacist Angela Chalmers says finger brushes are ideal. They help the baby get used to the sensation of something that tickles their gums as well as being on their teeth. Try brushing their teeth after their last feed before bed.
2. Let Your Child Assume Control
Chalmers says that children’s brushes are very colorful in a range of creative and fun characters. Making them choose their own brushes lets them feel in control and also encourage an enthusiastic brusher within them.
Those kids who are six years of age and don’t have any tooth decay must use a toothpaste with at least 1,000ppm (parts per million) fluoride. And when they reach the age of seven, they should use a toothpaste with at least 1,350-1,500 ppm fluoride.
3. Make Brushing Fun For Your Kid
It is crucial that you use age-appropriate toothbrushes for your growing ward’s teeth. Powers Dental Group recommends that you get brushes with soft bristles. For children below three, use a tiny smear of toothpaste and a pea-blob size for those aged between three to six. Doing this will enable them to get used to the taste.
There are also electric toothbrushes that vibrate and light up, that adds to the fun. Although, most dental experts do not recommend toothbrushes for children under the age of three.
4. Set A Timer
Two minutes is just the length we all need, including your child, for brushing our teeth. Angela says that this should be done twice a day and that you should ensure to make brushing fun for your ward. Think of it as brushing your child’s mouth in quarters; top right, top left, bottom righ, and bottom left. Then be sure to brush each quarter for 30 seconds.
5. Teach Your Kid Some Technique
Let your baby or toddler learn how to brush by watching you do it. But until they get the knack of it when they reach the age of seven or eight, it is important that you supervise how they brush. But you yourself have to be sure that you’re brushing the right way, as in using a circular motion on your teeth as well as cupping the gum line.
If you’re using fluoride toothpaste, Angela suggests that you don’t rinse with water after brushing. You can spit out the excess toothpaste, but don’t rinse with water as it will wash away the valuable fluoride.
6. Don’t Forget The Flossing
Flossing can do your child a world of good, especially if you teach them about it as soon as they have two teeth that touch each other, which is usually around the age of two. What you want to do is start them out with interdental brushes – the smaller the better. These will help your kids learn about the movements of going in and out between the teeth as well as stop the spread of plaque.
7. Build Courage For Dental Appointments
Ensure that when your baby visits the doctor, they do not dread in its presence. Angela suggests to take your baby to dental appointments to help them get used to the noises, smells and bright lights. Dental experts should look into the mouth of babies at a young age.
