Brushing your children’s teeth

Brushing your children’s teeth

People often ask me how best to brush children’s teeth. In all honesty there is no magic trick or technique. It’s about perseverance. You know your child best and so you will know how best to approach it.

It is important to brush your child’s teeth the moment they appear in the mouth. Even if it’s one tooth it still needs brushing! Use a small child’s toothbrush and a small smear of children’s toothpaste. Often try the flavoured toothpastes as they are more palatable for them. Do not use adult toothpaste as this has a higher concentration of fluoride that is too high for children from 6 years and under.

You should always be brushing your child’s teeth for them up to at least the age of 6 and probably up until they are 8 years old. If they flat our refuse then you must try a reward system of sorts to try and get them to allow you to brush them. It is often far easier to have them lying flat when you brush their teeth so you have better vision when brushing all the teeth, especially the upper teeth. Once you have managed to make it a routine then you should consider investing in an electric toothbrush for kids. This will make the job far easier and more effective. The further challenge will be flossing. You must do this too!

Please don’t try and substitute brushing with the use of mouthwash. Mouthwash does not effectively remove plaque. You must brush their teeth otherwise you will see their fragile baby teeth decay away and cause them pain.

David Hurst BDS (Lon)