Taking care of your child’s oral care is important from a very early age. Starting good oral hygiene practices with your child as soon as their baby teeth come in will help prevent dental problems like gum disease, tooth decay, and cavities later in life.

However, as all parents know, trying to teach a young child good habits of any kind and getting them to pay attention for more than 30 seconds at a time is much easier said than done. That’s why the pediatric dental experts at Ellerslie 66 Dental are here to give you some tips that can help make tooth brushing and flossing fun and easy for you and your child.

Show Them How

Before letting your child be involved in the process of brushing and flossing, take the time to show them how you do it yourself.  Since you should be brushing your own teeth twice a day for two minutes anyway, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to show your children how you take care of your own pearly whites. 

Sit together in front of the mirror and let them get a good look in your mouth to see how you reach every surface of your teeth, gums, and tongue. Make sure to emphasize that it’s important to spit the excess toothpaste out and rinse afterward. Then take the time to show them how you wrap the floss around your fingers and get into the spaces between all of your teeth.  

Showing your child how you do this on yourself can not only give them a visual aid for what they should be doing, but it can also help relieve anxiety by showing them that if mommy or daddy can do it there’s nothing to be worried about. 

Let Them Practice on You

One you’ve shown them how you brush and floss on yourself, give your child the chance to practice on you.  Let them brush and even practice flossing on a few of your teeth. Even if they don’t get it right the first time, you have the ability to go back and do it yourself again later!

Giving them the chance to practice on you lets your child feel like you are their equal in the process, rather than just the person telling them what they have to do.  If it’s important for you to take care of your teeth, it must be important for them as well!

Let Them Try On Their Own (Supervised)

Once your child has had an opportunity to watch and practice on you, give them some independence and let them try brushing and flossing their own teeth. Give them the freedom to put their own pea size amount of children’s fluoride toothpaste on their brush, wrap the floss around their fingers, and do the work themselves.  

Allowing them to brush and floss on their own while you guide them can give them a feeling of responsibility and being in control.

Let Them Choose

One of the easiest ways to help your child feel in control of their own oral health is to simply let them pick their own toothbrush and toothpaste flavor. 

Next time you’re at the store, let them make the choice.  Since they won’t necessarily know the difference between a child’s brush or toothpaste and a grownup’s, you can narrow it down for them, and give them some options to choose from. 

If they don’t end up liking the flavors they choose, try something else the next time, or have a couple different options in the house to give them variety.

Brush to music

From Raffi, to Sesame Street and the Wiggles, there are several children’s musicians who have written songs about brushing teeth.  Putting on one of these songs from their favorite characters can make brushing teeth a fun game, rather than a tedious activity.  In addition, most of these songs are conveniently about 2 minutes long, so your child will get in the habit of knowing the proper amount of brushing time.

Give Them Rewards

Incentivising your children to brush and floss regularly by giving them rewards is another way to make oral care fun and help your child feel like they are doing something important.  This could be something as simple as giving them a sticker or putting coins in a jar to save for a fun prize. 

To reward different levels of completion you could give a gold star or a quarter if they brush for the whole two minutes and floss, and maybe a silver star or a dime if they brush and floss, but don’t fully complete the process.

Be Patient!

Last but not least, be patient!  The process of getting your children to practice good brushing and flossing habits will take time and there will be bumps along the way.  However, if your children see you get frustrated, they’ll get frustrated and lose interest as well. 

Be there to answer their questions, and help them when they need it.  

And if you ever have questions yourself, or would like to schedule your child for their regular dental checkup and teeth cleaning, the team at Ellerslie 66 Dental is here for you.  Feel free to contact us or call us at (780) 705-9866 and we’ll be happy to help!

Your child’s oral health is just as important as your own.  From the time they are babies, all the way until they get their permanent teeth, it’s important to make sure that your child practices good dental home care to help ensure that they grow up with healthy, happy smiles. 

However, at Ellerslie 66 Dental, we know it can be difficult for your child to learn how to practice good dental hygiene habits, especially at an early age.  If your child is too young to take care of their own teeth, or if they need some help acquiring some good habits, we’re here to offer a few suggestions to help make your children’s dental care easy. 

Advice for Your Children’s Dental Care:

To help ensure your child’s dental health, they should begin to brush and floss on their own as soon as they are old enough to do so. In most cases children should be able to do this with supervision around the age of 4 or 5.  However, each child is different, so make sure to consult with your dentist to make sure they think your child is able to practice good oral hygiene on their own.

Helping your child practice good dental hygiene early on can help them engage in good hygiene habits after their adult teeth come in. 

Brushing:

Engaging in good brushing habits removes plaque from your child’s teeth, and helps prevent cavities and tooth decay.  Children should start brushing using toothbrushes with soft bristles. 

You can help your child learn proper brushing technique by first showing them how to place their toothbrush against their front teeth at a 45 degree angle.  Have them start brushing in a circular motion along their gums. After they have brushed all of their front teeth have them move to the top and inside surfaces as well. Finally, help your child get in the habit of brushing their gums to remove bacteria and help keep their breath fresh.   

Many cities, like Edmonton, have fluoride in the water to help strengthen and repair tooth enamel.  However, using a small amount of  fluoride toothpaste is recommended to help maintain the health of your child’s teeth 

Flossing: 

Your child should start flossing as soon as they have teeth that touch together. Often this will occur before your child is old enough to floss on their own so you should help them until they are capable of flossing themselves.  

To practice proper flossing technique, you or your child should wrap a string of floss between the thumb and forefinger. Place the floss between each set of teeth in a C shape and gently move the floss back and forth. You don’t have to floss too hard, stop when you feel resistance on the gums or teeth.  And don’t forget to get all of your child’s teeth, including the four in the back.

Visiting the Dentist:

An important part of your child’s dental care, is to make sure that they receive regular dental services from a pediatric dentist.

Visiting a dentist within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth is recommended in Canada by the The Canadian Dental Association (CDA). As we emphasize in Preventative Dentistry, the purpose is to take preventative measures before problems occur or get more serious. 

Regular dental appointments for kids can teach them good oral habits and learn the importance of oral health from their childhood. Dentists can also offer other preventative measures, like dental sealants, that you can’t get at home. They can also help identify and mitigate possible dental health issues before they happen. A dental exam every six months is recommended if a child has had cavities before, otherwise every twelve months.

Dr. Li and the care team at Ellerslie 66 Dental Clinic know the importance of children’s dental health. We will provide your child with compassionate and comfortable care, and help them to understand the benefits of good dental health. 

If you have questions about our pediatric dentistry services, or would like to make an appointment for your child, contact our team of dental professionals or give us a call at (780) 705-9866.

Most adults with good oral hygiene picked up the habits instilled that were instilled in them as reluctant children. Similarly, adults with poor oral hygiene are suffering from bad habits they picked up as kids.

If you have small children, it’s up to you to keep their teeth clean for now, or teach them how. Of course, this requires time and effort on your part. But later in life, your children will thank you and it will be worth it.

Account for children’s sensitive teeth

Young children have sensitive teeth that they are still learning how to use. They can’t take all the wear and tear you no doubt put on yours when you chew extra hard things, and they may not even have the muscles developed for that anyway.

It is best to treat sensitive teeth very carefully. Start out with softer toothbrushes (or your finger for infants), childrens’ toothpastes, and if you can afford to, try and get your child in for the occasional dentist visit. It’s also wise to give them fluoride tablets here and there, especially if your tap water does not include fluoride already. Fluoride helps to make teeth stronger.

Bad Gums Can Occur Early in Life

“[Plaque] can cause soreness, swelling, and bleeding in your gums” WebMD writes. This is doubly important for a child. You need to be brushing your child’s teeth frequently, and flossing as well.

Of course, this includes brushing your child’s gums too. Food particles and plaque can still get on their actual gums, and a rinse isn’t good enough to get it all out. So take care of their whole mouth, not just their teeth. Teeth and gums operate together and independently of each other on some level, and they need to be treated accordingly.

Don’t Wait Too Long to Get Braces

Understand that when we use the word “early,” we don’t necessarily mean too early for your child to have braces. But don’t wait too long once you know they are needed.

Braces aren’t just for straightening teeth, they help with overbites and underbites as well. With an overbite or underbite, your child’s jaw could grow wrong and they may have permanent problems with their mouth. This is also where semi-regular dentist visits come in. The dentist will let you know if and when your child needs braces, retainers, headgear, and the like. So the more you’re able to see the dentist, the better you’ll be able to prevent these sorts of things from happening.

Cavities Can Be A Problem At Any Age

When it comes to dental disease and cavities in children, the parents actually play a bigger role than you might think. According to the WDA, infants are at risk if their mothers don’t take good care of their own teeth, due to transmission of germs. It’s also good for parents to keep sugary things away from them, at least in large.

Of course at any age, children’s teeth can get cavities, so maintaining proper oral hygiene for your child is very important from that angle alone. Maintaining a careful stance on sugar, as well as regular brushing and flossing, should follow them as they grow up, so when they’re of age to start doing these things themselves they can carry those habits on.

Reinforce Positive Attitudes about Dental Care

According to WebMD, most children lack the coordination to brush and floss their own teeth until they’re about 6 or 7. But as early as you feel is reasonable, teaching them to take the reigns sooner than later may be a good idea.

Colgate’s website has an interesting and unusual piece of advice, but insightful nonetheless: don’t instill fear. Since some children are reluctant to oral care, many parents have been known to tell stories of scary dental procedures and surgeries.

However, as Colgate writes, “Making the dentist a source of fear can even lead to an unhealthy avoidance of dental appointments in adults.” Rewarding kids for the right actions will work better than scaring them for the wrong ones.