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It is very difficult to implement a technique for brushing teeth in preschool children. The important thing at this age is to give the child the habit of brushing teeth. When brushing, children often brush the visible or easily accessible surfaces of the teeth. However, in order to prevent caries, it is necessary to clean the interfaces and chewing surfaces of the teeth much better.
Brushing teeth in children is also important in terms of hand development. For this reason, parents should allow their children to brush their own teeth first, and they should finish the last brushing together. Studies show that children’s motor skills can be completed around the age of 7-8, so that they can brush their teeth correctly. For this reason, parents should play an active role in brushing their children’s teeth until this age.
How to choose a toothbrush for children?
Toothbrushes made of soft and nylon bristles and suitable for the child’s mouth size should be preferred. Hard brushes are not suitable for use as they will abrade the teeth. Toothbrushes should be renewed as soon as they are worn, every six months on average.
How many times a day should I brush my child’s teeth?
Just three minutes of effective brushing is sufficient after breakfast and before going to bed at night. Like every good habit, the habit of brushing teeth is acquired during childhood.
How much toothpaste should be used in children?
The use of toothpaste is not recommended in infancy and children up to the age of three. Toothpaste use should be started after the age of three. The paste as much as a chickpea will be enough for brushing.
When using toothpaste, any fluoride toothpaste can be preferred. The important thing is that the child likes the taste of the chosen paste. It should not be forgotten that an effective brushing process is more important than the paste in the brushing process.
Suggestions to minimize the risk of tooth decay in your child during the school period:
∗Ensure that your child brushes his/her teeth at least twice a day after breakfast and before going to bed in the evening.
∗Limit your child’s sugar consumption. Instead of giving sugary foods and drinks between meals, give them immediately after the main meals and then brush their teeth.
∗Visit your pedodontist (Pediatric Dentist) and have your child’s oral and dental health examination just before school starts. In this way, cavities, if any, are treated without pain at the initial stage and the education period passes more comfortably.
∗It is of great importance that you have dental caries preventive applications such as fissure sealant and superficial fluoride applications in order to prevent caries formation and strengthen teeth against caries formation during this period when schools start.
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