Helpful Dental Tips

• Be sure to visit your dentist regularly and brush twice a day.
• Brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes each time.
• Use a soft brush so it is gentle on the gums and remember to change your brush every 3 months.
• Use a fluoride toothpaste to help strengthen the enamel on your teeth.
• Floss – floss – floss!
• Eat healthy and choose snacks that are better for teeth such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat yogurt and cheese.
  
  

• Check out these proper brushing techniques!

1. Outer & Inner Surfaces: Place toothbrush at a 45-degree angle; starting along the gum line use gentle, short, tooth-wide strokes against the gum line.
2. Chewing surfaces: Hold the brush flat and brush back and forth.
3. Inside surface of front teeth: Tilt brush vertically; use gentle up-and-down strokes with toe of brush.
4. Brush the tongue: Use a back-to-front sweeping method to remove food particles and freshen the mouth. Remember to gently brush the roof of the mouth too.
5. Brush long enough to thoroughly clean all tooth surfaces. The brushing motion itself helps remove stains, so don’t cut short the effectiveness.
   
   

• Make it Fun

It is important to get kids to think about brushing as fun and exciting. Children should brush their teeth twice a day and floss daily, keep track of brushing on a calendar by the sink with gold stars. If there are two stars everyday, at the end of the week, play their favorite game on Friday night as a special prize.

• Bring Variety to Brushing

To keep brushing from getting boring, look for ways to make it fun. Keep different flavored toothpastes in the bathroom so that they can have options each time they brush

• Make Brushing Time, Family Time

Get the whole family together in the bathroom to brush our teeth for the recommended two minutes. Play their favorite song and brush together for the duration of the song.

• Get Children in the Right Frame of Mind for the Dentist

Dentists recommend dental check-ups every 6 months, which can be scary for many children. So prepare them

• Start Early

Good oral care begins at birth. Before children start teething, wipe out their mouths with moistened gauze after they eat.

• Practice Good Oral Hygiene All Around the House

Instead of sticky and sugary snacks, like gummy candy, soda and ice cream, give children healthy snacks that wash away easily, like raw vegetables and fruit. Also, after your children have brushed their teeth at night, let them drink water– the sugar that is left from juice and milk can create cavities in the mouth during sleep.