Teaching your child to appreciate good oral hygiene habits when they are little will go a long way toward keeping them encouraged to maintain a healthy mouth throughout their adult life. This includes brushing their teeth twice each day and flossing at least once per day. You can start doing this as soon as the first two primary teeth emerge from their gums.
It is often easy to encourage a child to brush their teeth twice each day. providing them a toothbrush that features their favorite cartoon and a child-safe toothpaste is usually sufficient to keep them encouraged to brush each morning and night. Just be sure to look for the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance to ensure that their toothpaste meets the ADA’s rigorous standards for quality, safety, and effectiveness.
Many small children lack the manual dexterity to floss their teeth with a traditional strand of dental floss. Giving them with a small floss stick can help them experiment at flossing their own teeth. You can then floss any missed areas when they are done.
Having them attend a routine dental checkup with a dentist like Dr. Thomas Ouellette twice a year is also very important for tracking their oral development and maintaining their healthy mouth.
If you live in the Denver, Colorado, area and you have concerns about your child’s oral health and hygiene you should call 303.296.1402 to schedule a dental checkup at Thomas E Ouellette, DDS, PC.