Preventative Care and Brushing Tips from a Pediatric Dentist

As a pediatric dentist, one of my most important roles is to help parents understand the importance of oral health.  It is also important to ensure that parents are properly instructed in the best ways to give their children great oral health. This typically starts with habits, and the most fundamental of all habits is brushing your teeth. Most people do not realize that the only way to keep your teeth clean, and offset any kind of gum disease, is to brush your teeth for a minimum of two minutes every day, at least twice per day.  As a dentist, we suggest that you follow a simple rule known as the 2-2-2 rule.  This is an easy way to remember the responsible way to have great oral health. Essentially, you need to brush your teeth for 2 minutes, twice a day and visit our pediatric dentist office at least 2 times each year with your children.

How to Select the Right Toothbrush

One of the most important questions that all parents ask us is how to select a great toothbrush, and what to teach the children about properly brushing their teeth. In addition to making sure that your children brush their teeth twice a day for at least two minutes, you need to have them select the right kind of toothbrush.  The right kind of toothbrush for your children is one that is not too hard and also not too soft but is moderately soft. It is also very important that you choose a toothbrush that is the right size for your child's mouth. This allows you when you are brushing their teeth, to get into all of those hard-to-reach spots so that you can remove the maximum amount of plaque and ensure that your children's teeth are actually getting clean.  Equally important as selecting your child's toothbrush is to make sure that you are replacing the toothbrush a minimum of twice a year.  When you make it a habit of bringing your children to our office at least once every 6 months, we are going to provide you with a gentle reminder by giving your child a new toothbrush at the end of their visit.

Visit a Pediatric Dentist for Preventative Care

As important as brushing is, it is equally important that you bring your child in to our pediatric dentist office at least twice a year. These visits should start as soon as your child cuts their first tooth or at age one, whichever is sooner.  There are two important things that happen when you bring your children in to our office on a regular basis. First, we are able to clean their teeth professionally, which means we can remove all the plaque that has built up in the spots where the toothbrush cannot go. This is critical because it allows us to catch and stop cavities, or other kinds of decay before it ever begins. Secondly, we are able to perform a thorough examination of your children's teeth. This includes examining for soft spots, looking for cavities, inspecting to make sure there are no signs of the onset of gum disease, taking x-rays, and doing all the things necessary to ensure that your children's health remains at the optimal level.

Call today to schedule an appointment for your child.

Dental Checkups for Children  >  Healthy Teeth For Kids

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