At what age do children brush their teeth and how?
Parents should give due attention to personalhygiene of the baby, including this applies to oral care. That is why the question of the age at which children are cleaned by the teeth should arise in moms and dads long before they start erupting. And do not think that the milk teeth do not need cleaning, because sooner or later they will still change. In fact, the health of molars largely depends on how correctly the oral care was organized in early childhood.
When to start brushing your teeth
Some parents are of the opinion thatit is not necessary to clean your baby teeth. In fact, they need to be cleaned and treated as carefully as they are permanent, since insufficient and untimely care can lead to the formation of caries, and in especially difficult cases - to pulpitis and periodontitis. Subsequently, all this has a negative effect on the formation of permanent teeth.
So at what age do children brush their teeth? This should be started as soon as possible, literally with the cutting of the first incisor. But the timing of the appearance of milk teeth vary from 4 to 10 months. After a year, tusks begin to erupt, and by the age of two the baby already has a full set of teeth - as many as 20 pieces.
Basics of hygiene, or oral care before teething
Many dentists recommend starting careoral cavity of the child even before the first milk teeth begin to erupt. This is a good prevention of candidiasis, or thrush, and also will minimize the inflammatory process, when the teeth will begin to erupt. So at what age do children brush their teeth?
Not teeth, but gums for babies begin to be cleaned aboutin three months, that is, a couple of months before the beginning of their eruption. To do this, use a gauze swab. To clean the mouth, it is moistened in boiled water and immediately after a meal they rub the inner surface of the cheeks, gums and tongue. And about once a week for the prevention of candidiasis and dental diseases gauze tampon is recommended to wet in a weak soda solution.
Cleaning of the first teeth
The very first devices that are usedparents for cleaning newly cut teeth, are silicone pads on the fingers. They are designed for massaging gums during eruption and for cleaning teeth before the introduction of the first complementary foods. Then another question arises: from what age can a child brush his teeth with a toothbrush?
As soon as the baby begins to get acquainted with the adultfood, on the enamel formed the first plaque, which is food for caries and, therefore, needs cleaning. That's when you can buy a baby a brush. However, the brush can be with silicone bristles and also be worn on the finger. But paste is not recommended. For a one-year-old baby, it is enough to moisten the brush in boiled water and walk it over the surface of the teeth.
How to brush your teeth in 2 years
When the child is fully introducedlure and he will gradually move to the main table, boiled water, which parents moisten the toothbrush, cease to cope with so much plaque and remains of food. Here the question of the age at which to start brushing a child's teeth should no longer stand in front of the parents. In two years is the deadline. And urgently and immediately. Otherwise, the remains of food, which are stuck between densely standing in the row teeth (and to this age in the dentition they will be 20), will become food for caries.
That is why in 2 years the teeth need to be cleanedspecial brush with toothpaste. And if a child has been accustomed to brushing his gums since childhood, and then teeth twice a day, then a new responsibility for him will not become a big problem and he will do it with pleasure only.
At what age do I brush my teeth with a toothpaste?
So, the child was 2 years old, and the taskthe parent at this point is to introduce him to toothpaste and teach how to properly use the brush. But if the answer to the question, at what age children brush their teeth, does not arise any more, then another controversial moment follows. What kind of pasta to buy a child - with or without fluoride? Can I use the paste for adults?
To clean teeth for a two-year-old child is allowedonly specialized children's paste. Compared with the adult, it contains less abrasive substances, has flavor and aroma additives. In addition, enzymes, casein, xylitol and calcium are added to children's pastes, which improve the structure of the tooth and have a bactericidal effect. For children up to 3 years of age, pastes that do not contain fluorine are produced. Their child can even swallow without harm to their health.
Equipment
The technique of proper teeth cleaning in children is as follows:
- The procedure for cleaning teeth in children is similar to adults. The brush is applied to the base of the teeth and swept upwards with sweeping movements. That is, the cleaning is from the gums to the edges.
- Similar actions are repeated from the inside andoutside, right and left. In this way "sweeping out" it is necessary to clean all the teeth. In this case, the pressure on the enamel should be minimal. It is important not to damage during cleaning neither teeth nor gums.
- Chewing teeth should be cleaned in circular motions from the top.
- In the process of cleaning do not forget about the language. It is cleaned by the back side of the toothbrush, which is exactly what it is intended for.
- To speed up the process, electric brushes can be used. At what age should the child brush his teeth with such a device? Approximately from three years, before this age even to try it is not necessary.
In the process of cleaning teeth is recommended to use the elements of the game, such as an hourglass. The child should know that as soon as the sand is poured, the cleaning will end.
Choosing a toothbrush
Another important point concerns the choice of a toothbrush. The fact is that the brushes with which adults brush teeth are not suitable for babies. To the choice of this means for children, special requirements are made:
- Do not buy brushes for a child with a naturalbristles. The fact is that dangerous microorganisms and bacteria are accumulating in it, which simply can not be removed by a stream of water. In addition, natural bristles are stiff and can damage the baby's tender gums.
- Brush for cleaning your teeth should be selected inaccordance with the age of the baby. If he is not yet two years old, you can use the finger pads to care for the enamel and the tongue, which also copes well with the plaque.
- The size of the toothbrush head should be round in shape and small in size. This will reduce the level of injuries during cleaning enamel.
Many dentists recommend for cleaning teethbuy electric brushes that run on batteries. Their advantage is that the coating from the enamel and the tongue is removed qualitatively and quickly. The only drawback is that not all children perceive such brushes adequately. For some, vibration causes fear, and they categorically refuse to clean.
From what age do you brush your teeth: Komarovsky EO and his recommendations
Famous pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky gives hisrecommendations for cleaning your teeth. He advises starting this process as early as possible, starting with the first tooth, and recommends using silicone pads for this. But parents should not forget that all this should take place in the form of a game, that is, the child himself should like the process. This will in the future develop a positive reaction to the duty to clean the teeth.
Also, parents should not forget from whichage, you need to brush your teeth. Maximum of 2 years, they should introduce him to the brush and paste. At the same time, if the child categorically refuses to perform such a duty, it should not be forced. If necessary, you can wait and up to three years. The main thing is not to force brushing your teeth. It will be better to use in education such methods, in which the child will have a desire to brush his teeth himself, without pressure from the parents.
Important recommendations for cleaning your teeth
The pledge of a beautiful smile of an adult independs a lot on how well oral care was organized at an early age. Many parents avoid mistakes in the future will help the following recommendations:
- Accustom the child to oral careshould start as early as possible, namely at three months of age. Then there will be no unnecessary questions as to the age at which the child should be taught to brush his teeth. Everything will be gradual, just first the role of the brush will be performed by a gauze swab and a silicone pad on the finger, and then - a toothbrush with paste.
- Pasta should be selected for quality, with a short shelf life and without fluoride in the composition.
- Preventative dental examinations shouldbe held twice a year. This will allow timely detection of diseases and timely treatment of teeth, which subsequently positively affects the health of the entire oral cavity. </ ol </ p>