Brush, Baby, Brush
Primary (baby) teeth should be brushed from the moment they first erupt into the mouth using a soft toothbrush and a smear or lentil-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste if your child is not spitting, and a pea-sized amount if they can. Use a non-fluoridated toothpaste or only water for independent tots who insist on brushing on their own, but end up sucking on the brush. Soaking the brush in warm water will soften the bristles even more for those with sensitive mouths!
Flip for Floss!
The set of baby teeth (20 in total) have usually worked their way into your child’s mouth by 2½. As the molars drift towards each other, they eventually contact and it’s at that point where plaque gets trapped between them. Even brushing won’t budge pesky plaque, but parent-assisted flossing on a daily basis will keep contact points spotless and popcorn kernels out. Ask your dentist for tips on how to best floss little teeth in little mouths.
Scrawl or Script?
A higher level of muscle dexterity is needed to floss and brush all the surfaces of every tooth well. Tying a shoelace and writing in cursive are movements that use some of the same muscles used to reach way back and around all the teeth. Little hands that can perform both these tasks well can remove plaque and sparkle teeth on their own. Children are usually at this stage of development around the age of 8. Until then, grab the brush and share the job!
The Sugar Bug Bites, Fluoride Fights!
Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease – more common than even asthma or seasonal allergies!
The low-down: Teeth get covered with plaque every time we eat or drink anything. When bacteria in the plaque break down food into sugars (including starches like pretzels, bread and pasta), the teeth face an acid-attack that leeches minerals out of teeth weakening their structure. The first sign of this weakening can be chalky-white spots on the enamel. If this process continues, the enamel breaks and the lesion is called caries (a.k.a.: “a cavity”). If left without repair, the cavity continues to get larger and can lead to pain and swelling.
Fluoride, a naturally occurring mineral, can get absorbed into these weakened areas to help strengthen or “remineralize” the affected enamel before it turns into a cavity. Two ways to get fluoride on the teeth is through an ADA approved fluoride toothpaste and through a fluoride rinse. Both of these methods place fluoride on the teeth topically; this process is different from systemic fluoride which is delivered via foods and water and incorporated into growing teeth through a process known as enamel calcification.
Keep on brushing!