How to get children into good teeth cleaning habits

The health of your teeth and mouth is something that can have a big impact on your life.

We have all heard stories from friends and family about how much work they needed after not looking after their teeth but a lot of time, money and discomfort can be avoided if you get into good habits from an early age.

So how do you help children to look after their teeth? Here are a few tips and tricks from our dentists:

• Clean their teeth for them as soon as teeth start appearing. Some children like to hold their own toothbrush even as a baby, so a good trick can be to give them one to use whilst you go in their mouth with another
  
  
• Where possible, brush or get children to brush their teeth before breakfast rather than after. Ideally, they should be brushing 30 minutes before eating
  
  
• Start taking them to the dentist from a young age. We generally recommend bringing them along to your appointments initially, this helps to ensure they aren’t afraid of the dentist. As soon as they have teeth and start to feel comfortable in the chair they then get used to having their teeth checked regularly.
  
  
• Make brushing fun and something they look forward to. There are some great teeth cleaning videos on YouTube which helps to ensure that they brush for two full minutes, the sesame street one is particularly famous.
  
  
• It can also be helpful to get a little sand timer for home so they know they’re brushing for as long as they should be
  
  
• Children should be flossing from the age of 10 as this is when they have fully developed fine motor skills. Flossing is a great habit to get into and it’s estimated that brushing only removes 43% of plaque, so it’s important that we teach children how to  fully look after their mouths
  
  
• Get children an electric toothbrush from 3 years old. Many electric toothbrushes are designed specifically for this age group, with smaller brush heads, soft bristles and fun features like timers and music

We look after many young patients and we talk to children in their appointments about looking after their teeth and why it’s so important.

Ultimately, it’s about getting into good habits as young as possible, so they have healthy teeth and gums throughout their life. If you have any questions, just ask our dental staff at your next appointment.

Always check with your dentist if you are unsure about any of the above, they can recommend the best options based on your child’s needs and oral development.