Children’s Oral Health:  How to Care for Your Child’s Teeth

Oral care is most effective when it begins in early childhood. With this approach, babies develop the habit of taking care of their smile, brushing their teeth thoroughly, and reacting to any pain or discomfort in time. This article will describe oral hygiene instructions for child from the very first tooth to the school age.

Rules for caring for deciduous teeth from the first months

Sometimes one can think that deciduous teeth should not be taken care of because they are temporary teeth that will soon fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth. But this approach is wrong. Deciduous teeth are indeed temporary, but they play an important role in chewing food, the health of the oral cavity, and the whole body, as well as in speech. Moreover, they “reserve” space for future permanent teeth.

Dentists of Respect Dental, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend adhering to the following rules for the care of deciduous teeth:

• You should start taking care of the oral cavity in children even before the first tooth appears. For this, you need to wipe the gums with a soft, clean cloth napkin soaked in warm water. Perform the procedure at least once a day after meals.
• After the first tooth appears, you can start regular cleaning using a silicone nozzle on your finger.
• There are also special baby brushes designed for babies. Such a brush has a large handle and a small head with soft bristles. But it is better to start using them after the child turns one year old.
• It is not recommended to let the child suck a bottle of milk or a sweet drink for a long time, especially at bedtime. This leads to caries.
• It is better to start caring for deciduous teeth using toothpaste at the age of 2 years.
• Teach children at an early age to brush their teeth twice a day – after waking up and before going to bed. Make sure that the children do not eat anything after brushing their teeth in the evening.
• Teach your children to brush their teeth correctly. For this, work on all surfaces of the teeth for 2 minutes, and after that, rinse the mouth and do not swallow the paste. More detailed instructions are below.
• If the deciduous teeth are placed very close to each other, you can start using dental floss starting from 2-2.5 years old.
• Carefully monitor the development of caries in children of any age. It can appear as chalky white, yellow or brown spots. If you notice such changes in deciduous or permanent teeth, you should immediately contact a children’s dentist.
• Develop a habit to visit a children’s dentist once every six months, unless other recommendations are established by the doctor.

Remember that taking care of deciduous teeth is just as important as for permanent teeth. Therefore, do not allow children to skip cleaning and teach hygiene from an early age.

How to brush children’s teeth correctly with a toothbrush?

1. First, rinse the mouth with warm water and also rinse the brush.
2. Squeeze out a small amount of paste, depending on the age of the child.
3. You need to brush your baby’s teeth with gentle sweeping movements. Clean the upper row of teeth moving the brush from top to bottom, and the bottom teeth – moving from bottom to top. In this way, the plaque that can linger under the gums is cleaned in the best way.
4. In the end, carefully clean all teeth with horizontal and circular movements of the brush.
5. Clean the side surfaces of the teeth with cotton swabs or dental floss.
6. After that, pour some water into the mouth and “bubble” to rinse it.
7. And of course, don’t forget to rinse the brush and put it in a glass handle down.

A little practice and everything will be fine!

What to do if the child refuses to brush their teeth?

The rules of oral hygiene in children can cause resistance, since brushing teeth and following a diet require perseverance and regularity. However, important habits are laid at an early age, which the children will take with them into adulthood, which means that they will preserve the health of their teeth and the whole body. That is why it is very important to accustom children to the rules of hygiene and talk about the importance of all hygiene procedures.

Here are some life hacks that can help to accustom children to take care of their teeth every day:

• Show on your example and take care of the smile together. Everything is easier to do together. Children are more willing to do what parents and adults show by their own example.
• Listen to music while brushing your teeth. To make the process less monotonous and to encourage children to brush their teeth for more than 2 minutes, find songs that last a suitable time and agree that you will brush your teeth until the end of the music. It is more fun!
• Sing your favorite songs. Another idea that will diversify hygienic procedures. Sing your favorite song or hum a familiar melody while brushing your teeth. It is also useful because by changing the tempo of the melody, you affect the speed of the toothbrush movements, so your child will slow down or speed up brushing.
• Don’t limit yourself to the bathroom. If it is difficult for your baby to stand in one place, then it is time to walk around the apartment, watch a cartoon or watch a cat. The main thing during this time is not only to keep the brush in the mouth but to brush the teeth carefully and thoroughly at the same time.  
• Buy a nice toothbrush. A soft toothbrush with a beautiful handle, bright colors, or cartoon characters also plays a significant role in encouraging children to brush their teeth. Let children choose the brush themselves or express their wishes. Of course, preferences will change soon, but the brush should be changed at least once every 1-3 months.
• Experiment with toothpaste. The taste of menthol or eucalyptus is not what you want to feel on your tongue at an early age, and if the paste stings say goodbye to obedient cleaning even to your favorite music. That is why it is better to choose children’s toothpaste with a pleasant taste and smell and bright packaging. At the same time, pay attention to the composition and take into account the recommendations of a dentist.
• Use new technologies and ideas. Toys, mobile applications, and other devices will be useful. For example, you can download an application on your telephone with a timer and tasks for children to help them to brush their teeth thoroughly. Such applications include Disney Magic Timer from Oral-B, Brushing Hero, and others.
• Offer encouragement. Yes, sometimes you will have to create an “encouragement system” that will work in your family. For obedient teeth brushing and washing, you can offer an additional 5 minutes of cartoons or something else that the kids like.
• Talk to your children about hygiene. Children have hundreds of questions every day. It is very important to speak with them, talk about bacteria, caries, and the importance of hygiene rules for children and adults. Read books and watch educational videos so that kids understand clearly that brushing teeth is not a punishment, but a useful habit for health and beauty. Below, we will offer you 5 children’s books about oral hygiene in children.
• Add creativity. Your kid does not want to brush his teeth? But how much food was hidden between them. The morning oatmeal is currently snuggled up somewhere behind the back tooth, the little macaroni at lunch snuggled up to the gums, and somewhere else the evening piece of a cookie is playing hide-and-seek. List the daily menu to turn teeth brushing into a fun game.
• Check the results of brushing the teeth and let the kids check you. Such mutual settlement produces a responsible attitude to hygienic procedures. Besides, it’s always nice to check adults:)

Children are different, so you should understand what works for you. The main thing is that you must be patient and persistent when your children learn to take care of themselves.

Is it necessary to treat deciduous teeth?

You may hear the opinion that you don’t need too much stress to treat deciduous teeth in children. But this thesis is very harmful. In childhood, dental pathologies often develop. Harmful bacteria cause a decrease in immunity and increase the risk of many diseases, including acute respiratory infections, pharyngitis, gastrointestinal disease, and other unpleasant diseases. Moreover, with an indifferent attitude to deciduous teeth, an incorrect bite and anomalies of the jaw may develop.

That is why it is very important to visit a children’s dentist from an early age! The doctor will carefully monitor the development of your baby’s deciduous and permanent teeth and provide treatment in time. The child will not be afraid of the dentist, and his smile will make you happy every day.

Children’s dentists in Respect Dental Clinic

Our clinic has a separate structural unit – Respect Dental Kids Dental Clinic. Competent children’s dentists specializing in the treatment of children work here. We offer modern equipment, and a gentle approach, as well as a treatment during sleep. Thanks to the generators in the clinic, nothing will interfere with the treatment of your child, even if the lights in the area are turned off for some reason or there is any malfunction with the power grid.

We are waiting for you and your kids at Respect Dental Kids Clinic.