Let’s Talk About Children’s Dental Health
February is Children’s Dental Health Month and we’d like to talk about all of the things you can
do to protect your child’s smile. There are also some great resources on the American
Association of Pediatric Dentistry website in addition to fun activities to do with your child.
BRUSHING
Creating good dental habits for your children should start as soon as they wake up. Before
breakfast, you should brush your teeth with your kiddos. When children are learning healthy
habits, modeling the behavior can be beneficial. Let them watch you, and then work with them
on their brushing skills.
To start with, make sure you’re using a soft bristle toothbrush. If your child can spit their
toothpaste in the sink, use a pea sized amount of toothpaste. If you find they’re swallowing their
toothpaste, use a very small amount that is about the size of a grain of rice.
It’s a good idea to establish a consistent brushing pattern. This will ensure that all areas of the
mouth are taken care of. Start at the same place, on the same side, and follow the same order
when teaching your kids how to brush. For example, start on the left side with your bottom
molars. Work your way around to the front bottom teeth, then the right bottom teeth. Be sure
you’re paying attention to the back AND front of teeth surfaces. You’ll also want to make sure
that they/you are paying attention to the gumline.
Brushing at night helps wipe away all of the foods you’ve eaten throughout the day that can turn
into fuel for those pesky sugar bugs!
FLOSSING
Flossing is important because it removes plaque and food that is between teeth. Brushing can
only go so far, and flossing does the rest of the job. It’s not only good for your mouth but helps
prevent bad breath, which makes morning cuddles with your kiddos much more enjoyable. Even
if your kids’ teeth aren’t touching, you can still work on forming the habit from a young age.
FLUORIDE
Make sure there’s fluoride in your toothpaste. Fluoride helps prevent painful cavities and decay,
and is so important for the health of your kids’ teeth. Most children who have fluoride in their
drinking water, and use a toothpaste that contains fluoride are getting a sufficient amount to
prevent issues. You can see if it’s in your drinking water here;
https://nccd.cdc.gov/DOH_MWF/Default/Default.aspx
In the past, some have said that fluoride toothpaste should only be used for kids old enough to
know how to spit into the sink. However, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists
recommends fluoride toothpaste be used from the start. The amount they recommend using
varies depending on age. A tiny amount, the size of a grain of rice, should be used for kiddos
two and under. This amount is safe if ingested. However, you should encourage your child to
lean forward so that their spit and toothpaste fall out of their mouth. Once they get to the age of
two, it’s easier to tell them to spit their toothpaste out and they can have a pea sized amount of
toothpaste. We may recommend a fluoride application during your child’s cleaning to give their
teeth an extra boost of protection.
SEALANTS
In addition to brushing and flossing twice a day, you can also take an extra step to protecting
teeth with sealant. The molar teeth are most susceptible to cavities for two reasons; First, their
chewing surface has more pits and fissures than the rest of the teeth. This can make it more
difficult for toothbrush bristles to clean the chewing surface. Second, the majority of chewing is
done with your molars, increasing the chances of food and bacteria getting stuck and causing
decay. To protect your children’s molars, we can apply sealant when they come in; usually
around 6 years old and 12 years old.
A report published in July, 2017 by the Cochrane Collaboration, a group that studies and
analyzes health information, found that the prevalence of cavities was reduced by 51% in
children whose teeth were treated with sealant.
As always, call our office with questions and don’t forget to come in every six months for check-ups!