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| Cleaning Your Child's Mouth and Teeth
As with any other part of your child's body, your child's mouth needs to be cleaned regularly to keep it healthy, functioning properly and looking good. Research is now showing that your mouth affects the health of the rest of your body, too. The cleaner and healthier your child's mouth, the better off the rest of his or her body will be. Oral hygiene needs to start early, right from the start of your child's life. Until your child has at least a few baby teeth, wipe your child's mouth with a clean, damp washcloth wrapped around your finger. You can also use a terrycloth finger cot, which fits over your finger and is made for this purpose. They are sold in most drugstores. Wipe your child's tongue, gums and cheeks at least once a day before bed or nap time. A good way to see into your child's mouth as you clean it is to lay your child on a bassinette and stand behind his or her head as you use the wipe. As your child grows, sit down and have him or her stand or kneel between your legs so that your child can tip his or her head back into your lap. This is a good time to look for anything that doesn't look normal to you, such as, white or red spots on the oral tissues, bulges that you can't identify, or other changes. Ask your child's dentist about anything you see. Even after the first few teeth show up and until about 6 months of age, wiping is a good way to clean your child's mouth. As soon as the first teeth appear, it is especially important to clean along their gum line. This is where plaque — the bacteria-containing film that forms on teeth and gums — is most likely to cause cavities and inflamed gums. As more teeth erupt into the mouth or the child is older than 6 months, it is time to start using a soft-bristled, infant-sized toothbrush. Use a very small dab of toothpaste. Careful brushing is enough until two or more baby teeth touch each other. This typically happens when the molar (back) teeth drift into position against one another as early as age 3 or as late as age 6. When teeth start touching, it's time to start flossing. Flossing is essential because toothbrush bristles cannot reach between the baby teeth and this area is very prone to cavities.
Young children don't have the dexterity and commitment to brush and floss their own teeth well. In fact, parents need to be involved in tooth brushing and flossing longer than any other part of daily body hygiene. However, children should be encouraged to participate as soon as they can hold a toothbrush and find their mouths. Young children learn best by modeling and will be more interested in learning to brush and later floss their own teeth when they see their parents doing so every day.
The most important time to clean your child's mouth is before bed after he or she has had the last thing to eat or drink for the day. This is because saliva flow slows down during sleep and provides less protection against cavities than during the day. First let your child brush his or her own teeth and don't worry about how he or she does it. Then it's your turn. Have your child kneel or sit in front of you and tilt his or her head back in your lap. Gently pull the left cheek aside with your finger so you can see the outside surface of the upper back teeth. How thorough you are is more important than how long you brush your child's teeth. Once you have the knack of systematic brushing, it can be done quickly, even if your child is not in the mood or is being fussy. To be thorough, you need a system, starting at the same spot every time and moving the same way through the mouth until all surfaces of the teeth are cleaned. Here's one system that works well. Make four sweeps around the mouth and finish by brushing the biting surfaces of the upper and lower teeth.
You and your child will both become comfortable with this routine so that careful brushing can become as much part of the bedtime ritual as washing hands and face. The right brush makes all the difference. Use a brush that is designed for your child's age. The smaller the brush head, the easier it is to see where you are going, to aim the bristles along the gum line and to clean thoroughly. Always use a soft-bristled brush and don't scrub. Scrubbing can damage tissues in your child's mouth and could make brushing uncomfortable for your child. Never brush your child's teeth with a toothbrush that has been used by another child or adult. This can transfer bacteria and viruses into your child's mouth that could cause disease, including cavities.
Once any two of your child's teeth touch each other, it's time to start flossing. Flossing helps to prevent cavities by removing plaque and food particles caught between teeth. It should be an important part of your child's dental routine. You only need to floss between teeth that touch. Floss is available in many different sizes, coatings, flavors and forms. If you have trouble using the floss wrapped around your fingers, you can purchase floss holders in most drug stores. Floss after brushing so that the fluoridated toothpaste is still in the mouth. The floss will spread some of the toothpaste between the teeth. To floss without using a floss holder: With a younger child, lean the child's head back into your lap so you can see into his or her mouth. An older child can stand in front of you and tip his or her head back against your chest. Take about 18 inches of dental floss and wrap one end around each of your middle fingers. Using your thumbs and index fingers as guides, gently slide the floss between two teeth, using a sawlike motion. Once at the gum line, wrap the floss to form a C shape against one of the two teeth. Slide it up and down against that tooth. Next, wrap the floss against the other tooth and repeat the up-down motion. Repeat this wherever two teeth are touching.
The fluoride in toothpaste does more to prevent cavities than the brushing itself. Start using a fluoride toothpaste when your child is 6 months old. You can use any child or adult toothpaste your child likes. They contain the same amount of fluoride. But use the toothpaste sparingly. More is not better. Too much toothpaste makes it harder to see what you are doing and puts your child at risk of developing white or brown spots on the permanent teeth (called fluorosis). Use a dab of toothpaste no bigger than your child's pinky fingernail. As your child grows, so will the fingernail so you will use a little more as your child gets older. Be sure the toothpaste has not reached its expiration date so your child gets the full benefit of the fluoride. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Last updated September 2, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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