Children under 10 years of age are best off receiving help from an adult when they’re brushing their teeth. Here’s how you help them clean their teeth in a way that teaches them what’s best for their dental health while giving them an opportunity to be independent and act on their own.
Step 1 – Get the Right Tools
For little children, you’ll normally need a fluoride-reinforced toothpaste designed for kids; a soft toothbrush; a child-friendly floss that won’t hurt a child’s sensitive gums and soft tissue.
Step 2 – Clean Outer Surfaces
Start by cleaning the sides and tops of your child’s teeth with a sweeping motion that starts at the gums and goes upward. This’ll get rid of most of the plaque; just make sure your kid isn’t applying too much pressure to the gums.
Step 3 – Brush Inner Surfaces
Once the previous step’s over, go over the inner surfaces of your teeth; the ones in between teeth, the ones at the back of the mouth and even the “dimples” formed by the cusps of each tooth.
Step 4 – Clean Their Tongue
Once your child finishes brushing their teeth, show them how to clean their tongue to get as many of the bacteria and food particles in their mouth out as possible. Again, a little goes a long way, so make sure that too much pressure isn’t being applied.
Step 5 – Rinse
Here, you’ll want a soft rinsing liquid – especially if your child is young and might swallow the mouthwash by mistake. Water works, as do kid-friendly mouthwash solutions.
Step 6 – Repeat
Your child should take around 4 minutes to brush their teeth. If they get done any faster, you should have them repeat the steps above – particularly 3 and 4. Teach them good hygiene now to prevent future visits to the dentist in the future!
One last tip: when brushing upper teeth, teach your child to extend their head backwards for maximum reach.
Other than that, that’s it; so long as you follow these simple, easy-to-remember steps, you’ll have done a great job of brushing teeth with your child – and teaching them to do it properly!