The Importance Of Good Dental Hygiene Habits In Children

For children to learn to keep their teeth healthy and clean, parents must teach them and raise awareness from a very young age.

The sooner the child becomes familiar with the steps he must follow in his daily routine, the easier it will be for him to get used to it and repeat it more automatically every day. Despite this, parents should do a subsequent review to confirm that the child's mouth is clean.

At Goslee & Henderson Dentistry we're all for you when it comes to pediatric dental emergencies and we'd like to share a guide with you to make this step easier so your child can maintain good dental hygiene. .

The Importance Of Consistency: How To Create A Habit?

As we all know, habits are behaviors that all human beings, both children and adults, perform automatically. To create a habit we must mechanize a series of actions until it does not require any effort to carry them out, that is, until we get used to them.

To create a habit it is necessary to maintain consistency and repeat the process for at least 21 days, although it will take more or less time to incorporate these actions, it will depend on each person. In this case, for each child, but generally, it is usually achieved in around 3 weeks.

How Is It Possible To Avoid Having To Get Braces A Second Time?

Mainly, as we have told you on different occasions on our blog, following the guidelines that we recommend for the retention phase after completing orthodontic treatment.

Dental retainers can be of two types: Fixed and removable. Both have the function of preventing tooth displacement. Therefore, during the period indicated after completing orthodontic treatment, you should make good use of them. This way, possible movements can be stopped and recurrences (relapses) avoided.

Many Experts Say That It Is Easier To Create A Habit If You Follow The Following Guide:

–        Set small goals: They don't have to be big goals; it can simply be getting the little one to remember each step independently.

–        Maintain consistency: You have to get the child used to doing it every day and try to get him to do it for himself as much as possible, even if the parents help him to do it well.

–        Follow ascending progress: It would be good to introduce information on the topic gradually and allow us to expand it depending on the child's age. For example: start by explaining that you have to brush your teeth and the steps to follow, the movements you should make with the brush, the order you should follow to avoid missing any, explain the types of teeth in the mouth, talk to them about the gums, tongue, tell him the importance of why we should go to the dentist, show him what things we can use and how (not only the brush but also the dental floss, tongue cleaner), etc. In this way, the little one will become familiar with all of this and see it as something easy and natural.

–        Review the results with an expert: As we always say, apart from maintaining good dental hygiene, it is necessary to go to the dentist to check that everything is perfect. In the case of children, visits with the pediatric dentist will not only serve to confirm that the child's mouth is in good condition but also to guide parents through advice on the next steps.

Factors To Take Into Account For Good Dental Hygiene In Children

Guide To Good Dental Hygiene For Children

– Brush your teeth daily: It is important to make them see that they should brush their teeth at least 3 times daily. The ideal is to do it after each meal. When they already have a notion of time, explain to them that they should do it for approximately 2 minutes and what proper brushing looks like.

They must understand that it is a task they must follow daily. A fun and very easy way for children to know if they have brushed correctly is the bacterial plaque revealer. It is a pink liquid that stains the dirt on the teeth and allows children to see the bacterial plaque that they have to remove during brushing. It is very easy to use. If you want to know more, in the next blog article we will explain all the tricks to use it.

– Choose the correct toothbrush: In general, the brushes that can be found are divided by the following age ranges: Brushes for babies, from 2 to 6 years, from 6 to 12 years, and brushes considered for adults.

– Amount of toothpaste: When children are small, the amount should be very small, like the size of a lentil, since they cannot spit it out.

– The child's diet: The child's diet also has to be reviewed since if the child eats a lot of sugar they may end up getting cavities.

– The child's diet: The child's diet also has to be reviewed since if the child eats a lot of sugar they may end up getting cavities.

– Toothpaste must have fluoride and it is also necessary to pay attention to the amounts of fluoride depending on age: They are usually determined according to the age of the patient: Between 6 months – and 4 years it does not usually exceed 500 ppm of fluoride, between 4-6 1000-1450 ppm and from 6 years onwards it should have approximately 1450 ppm.

Even so, the amount of fluoride recommended in the paste can be individualized according to the patient's risk of having cavities. When we have patients who usually have cavities when they come for their check-ups, we recommend pastes with a greater amount of fluoride to help prevent them.

 Therefore, this entire process must be accompanied by periodic reviews to be able to verify that everything is going correctly. For this, at Goslee & Henderson Dentistry we have a team of experts in Pediatric Dentistry and prepared to deal with the little ones in the house.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to make an appointment. The first appointment is free and we can help you resolve your questions.