From the age of 2 most children have gained their first teeth so it’s important to start a gentle tooth-brushing routine at this time.
At such an early age it’s best to brush teeth for your child, gentle moving the brush around the mouth to get to as many surfaces as possible.
A child should be capable of brushing their own teeth from about the age of 7 but it’s still important to continue to supervise at this point, to ensure they are using a good routine.
A good way to teach your child a good routine is to brush your teeth alongside them – we guarantee they will replicate your movements and copy your actions, including pulling funny faces!
Encourage your child to gently clean their tongue too as this is where bacteria can gather and cause bad breath. Ensure they don’t brush the tongue too hard though as this can cause irritation.
It’s important to keep the fluoride in the mouth for as long as possible so it can do it’s job so we recommend you don’t encourage the child to rinse with water after brushing – just spit out the toothpaste.
Then finally, look to replace your toothbrushes every 3 months as this is typically when they become worn and the bristles splay. If you’ve had a nasty virus or throat infection, we recommend you replace your toothbrush as this will help prevent re-infection.
For more advice on great tooth-brushing or achieving good oral health, ask our Dentist or Hygienist – we’d be happy to help.
http://www.wordofmouthmagazine.org/March2016/index.html?r=27