Taking care of your child’s teeth should start at an early age. Infant toothbrushes are on the market to help you establish a habit from the beginning. Most little ones get a thrill out of brushing their teeth but once the novelty wears off they tend to “forget”. Some children fight having to brush their teeth. However, brushing your teeth is not an optional task. Children can develop cavities before they start Kindergarten.
Here are tips for basic dental care for your preschooler:
Routine: establishing a habit will decrease or eliminate a child going through a phase of forgetting or fighting to brush his teeth.
Soft Brush: Use a soft bristled toothbrush and brush your child’s teeth thoroughly but not harshly. Brushing too hard can harm tooth enamel.
Teaching to Spit: By the age of three a child should be able to use a small, pea sized, amount of toothpaste. Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste. You can provide a small cup, I use the 3 ounce bathroom paper cups, to encourage swishing water in the mouth to make spitting easier. Demonstrate the action so your child learns not to swallow toothpaste.
Brush Together: Until your child is fully able to brush his teeth you may want to brush together so your child has a good example. You also will want to go over our child’s teeth as well to be sure his teeth have been brushed properly.
Floss: Encourage flossing by using the neon colored or animal shaped flossers. You will have to floss your child’s teeth to get the best results.
No Spicy Toothpaste: My little one calls adult toothpaste “spicy”. The taste discourages her from brushing her teeth properly. To avoid this buy children’s toothpaste in a flavor that is more mild or appealing.
Rewards: Place a chart on the back of your bathroom door for your child to check off every time he brushes his teeth. Once he reaches a certain amount of times you may want to reward him with stickers, a new toothbrush or toothpaste.