Five Tips to Care for Kids Teeth

It should not be that difficult to get your little one to brush his or her teeth regularly. It only takes some time and discipline to get your child into a brushing habit. This habit will do well towards their future dental hygiene. Here are some tips on how you can make your children brush their teeth on a regular basis.

1. While it is important that your children brush teeth using toothpaste, they do not need a large toothpaste blob on their brushes. A pea-sized blob is enough. Too much toothpaste causes lots of foam which may interfere with the process of brushing. It may also be unhealthy. If the child consumes the toothpaste, the fluoride content can cause upset stomachs. You need to encourage your kid to spit out the toothpaste and not swallow it.

2. Some parents think their kid is way too young to brush his or her teeth. But it is important that your child learns brushing and gets used to it at an early stage. If your kid is too small to know brushing, then you can do it for him or her. Find a brushing position that is comfortable, like standing behind or beside your kid with your arm around them. When you are brushing yourself, let your child watch by standing on a stool before a mirror.

3. Many dentists recommend a minimum brushing duration of around three minutes. This ensures that the brushing process covers all the teeth during this timeframe. You can use a timer to measure three minutes. You can play a song during brushing so your kid knows when three minutes is up. Do not use a timeout timer to measure brushing process in kids. They may tend to feel brushing is a ritual that needs to be completed before the timeout happens.

4. Use number counts. As your kid brushes each area of the teeth, count loudly up to 15 or 20. This will help them to brush one area thoroughly before moving towards the next. You can count for different areas of the teeth like bottom, top, back, front and middle. You can let them count by themselves also. It may help your children with their math skills.

5. Make brushing fun. A child may find the process of brushing teeth an inevitable but boring process. Try to find a means of making brushing fun so it will create a positive experience for your children.

Sources:
http://teethdentalcare.blogspot.com/2008/04/dental-care-tips-and-treatment-for-kids.html