How to Brush Children’s Teeth Correctly

Teaching a child self-hygiene of the oral cavity is a very important step in maintaining a beautiful smile for the whole life. The sooner you start cultivating dental culture, the better. There are many ways of children’s oral hygiene at different ages, before applying the first toothbrush.

Children’s oral hygiene

At a very early age, special dental wipes are recommended. You can also wrap a finger with a gauze moistened with warm (but not too hot) boiled water, and clean the gums massaging them in a circular motion. After a time (since 6 months) it is already possible to use a special teether brush, which has an attractive design and is very similar to an “adult” brush. If a child, from birth to the cutting of the first teeth, becomes accustomed to oral hygiene, he/she will later, as a matter of course, begin to brush his/her teeth himself/herself.

How to brush children’s teeth

Parents should themselves clean the child’s teeth from food debris in the morning and in the evening long enough (up to 6-7 years old). In the first years, it’s better to use a baby brush with rubber bristles, which will allow you to work gently with both teeth and gums. Soon the child himself/herself will want to try to brush teeth, as parents like to do. Do not interfere, this is progress. Gradually, after a year, replace the brush. Now it will be with soft polyester bristles, a small head, and a comfortable handle. Before first use, be sure to wash the brush thoroughly with warm water and soap, and then repeat this treatment every day. After two or three years, you can more purposefully teach your child to brush the teeth in an accessible and easy way to explain how to properly use a toothbrush and rinse your mouth well, without swallowing water.

How to teach children to brush their teeth?

Pediatric dentistry provides counseling for parents on how to properly teach children to brush their teeth. Show how you should first wash the brush with warm water and rinse your mouth. You need to brush your teeth as if you were sweeping them. Clean the upper teeth from top to bottom, so that the dirt from under the gums comes out, and the bottom teeth, from the bottom to top. Be sure to clean the inner surface of the teeth, which is more difficult to clean than the outside. In the end, you need to clean the chewing surface of all teeth with horizontal and circular movements. The child must brush the teeth himself or herself, but it is important to help the child complete the cleaning because he/she still cannot complete the entire procedure on his/her own. Gradually, the child will learn how to properly and carefully perform all movements, if the child is taught to brush his teeth calmly and unhurriedly.

How should children brush their teeth with a toothbrush

Be sure to clean the side surfaces of the teeth with threads or interdental brushes. It’s more difficult for a child to use them. At this stage, your participation will be necessary. Finally, again, the child needs to take in the mouth of water and ‘guggle’. Be sure to wash a toothbrush, so that it stays clean.

The main thing is not to be lazy, but to teach the child to brush teeth daily, both in the morning and in the evening. Up to the age of six, you will need to apply the minimum amount of toothpaste on the brush yourself and control that the child does not try to swallow it. Do not forget to change the toothbrush every 1-3 months, when the bristles begin to lose their shape. By the age of six, under unpressing but constant monitoring, it will be possible to entrust the child to brush all his/her teeth himself/herself and apply toothpaste on the brush. As for electric toothbrushes, it is better to use them when all teeth are replaced by permanent ones and the enamel becomes stronger.

Pediatric dentists from Avanto clinics recommend that you cultivate a child’s oral hygiene culture from an early age. After all, it is a pledge of a beautiful smile for life. To do everything right, you can consult experienced professionals, and they will advise you on how children should brush teeth properly, and what tools for this should or should not be used. We also advise you to pay attention to any external changes in primary teeth in a timely manner, as this may signal early development of dental caries and other diseases. We appreciate the beautiful smile of our little patients.