home Analyzes Teach a 2 year old child to brush their teeth. At what age should you brush your teeth, how to teach your child to brush his teeth. The child does not allow you to brush your teeth. Choosing a toothbrush

Teach a 2 year old child to brush their teeth. At what age should you brush your teeth, how to teach your child to brush his teeth. The child does not allow you to brush your teeth. Choosing a toothbrush

To maintain dental health at any age, daily oral hygiene is extremely important. It would seem a simple procedure that does not take much time and does not require any extraordinary skills and efforts. But sometimes even adults are too lazy to do it regularly. What then can we say about kids? They don't even suspect such a need. How to teach a child to brush their teeth every day - morning and evening? What parenting tricks can you use to achieve the best results?

Baby 1 year old

At 1-2 years old, a child cannot yet brush his teeth on his own. But in order to develop a stable habit, this procedure can be carried out by parents until the baby grows up a little.

According to dentists, a child should start brushing his teeth when the very first ones have just erupted. For some it happens earlier, for others later.

But when the baby turns 1 year old, he definitely already has a couple of teeth in his mouth. And they require proper care. While the child does not know how to brush his teeth on his own, one of the parents does it for him using a special silicone brush.

Carry out this procedure regularly after your baby wakes up in the morning and before bed. This will be the initial stage of teaching a child to mandatory and regular brushing of teeth. And when your baby gets a little older, you can safely start teaching him to brush his teeth on his own.

Baby 2-3 years old

Explain to your child in a language he understands that oral hygiene is the main means of combating caries of baby teeth.

The key to a healthy lifestyle for your child in his adult future is the correct healthy habits that you form in him even in early childhood.

To make brushing your teeth habitual for your baby, do it regularly. Regardless of your well-being and mood, your busyness and fatigue. Be disciplined and consistent.

It is the regularity of hygiene procedures that sooner or later transforms them into habits.

A toddler should have several toothbrushes. And it would be better if he chose them personally

Now about the methods and tricks. And the first thing you can interest your baby in is his own toothbrush. Mom has her own, dad has his own, and now the little one will have a smaller copy of his parents.

Let your child make his own choice. And it’s even better if the baby has more than one toothbrush. Today, manufacturers provide a very wide range of these. Some of them are made in the shape of various animals, fairy-tale characters or favorite cartoon characters.

Thus, every day of the baby will begin with his favorite activity - playing. The little one chooses a brush, together with him you come up with a fairy tale story about it and develop the plot, not forgetting to brush your teeth thoroughly.

Very soon, the baby will not only be happy to do this himself, but will also begin to look forward to the next procedure in order to continue the exciting game.

"Delicious" toothpaste

Toothpaste is also an integral part of the ritual. It should also be interesting and tasty

The child should also have several toothpastes. And let him choose them himself, organically weaving them into the storyline of the game. Raspberry and strawberry, apple and orange. Pink, orange, green. Tasty, interesting, useful.

Do not buy only those with a pronounced mint (menthol) taste. Many children don't like him. And don't worry if your child accidentally swallows toothpaste. Baby toothpastes do not contain substances harmful to the baby's body.

Personal example

Teach your child to brush his teeth by leading by example.

Or you can take advantage of the fact that young children always strive to imitate adults in everything. If a baby watches mom and dad brushing their teeth every day, at one point he will definitely want to try to do the same. The main thing is that everything necessary for the procedure is stored in advance and is at your fingertips.

Toys also clean teeth

Or you can purchase an educational toy designed to make teaching your child how to brush his teeth more fun.

If a child does not want to brush his teeth, involve him in the process. First, you brush the teeth of the bunny and the bear, then invite the baby to help you. Then let the bear and the bunny brush your and your little one's teeth. The next stage: the toys want to see if the baby can brush his teeth on his own?

Child 4-5 years old

By the age of 4-5, many toddlers have already developed a stable habit of brushing their teeth. And parents can begin to draw their attention to the quality of the procedure.

Be patient. You are unlikely to be able to immediately teach your child to take care of his teeth. And that's okay. Moreover, for several more years (approximately until the toddler reaches school age) you will have to control the process itself. Since the baby still cannot properly brush his teeth on his own.

Motivation

It is important that the baby understands why he needs to brush his teeth and why it needs to be done every day. You can convey this information to him in an intelligible and understandable way with the help of fairy tales and cartoons.

Cartoon "The Legend of the Tooth Kingdom"

Brushing your teeth should not be a routine task for your child. Let it be in a playful way. So that the baby wants to repeat the procedure again and again.
At the initial stage of your child’s education, your priority is to develop a habit, and not to teach the correct manual skills (how to hold a brush and how to move it, how long to brush your teeth, etc.). First, the baby must understand the importance of what he is doing, become interested, be inspired, and only then begin to monitor the process itself.

Your child’s healthy, white-toothed smile in the future depends entirely on your patience, your perseverance and responsibility in the present.

Forming your child’s skills and established habit of brushing their teeth depends entirely on you. Be patient and moderately persistent. Your reward will be your child’s beautiful and happy smile for many, many years. And the knowledge that it was you who helped preserve this white-toothed smile.

Video “When should you start teaching your baby to brush his teeth?” Komarovsky

According to dentists, children should be taught to brush their teeth as early as possible; it is advisable to lead by example and teach them to use a brush as soon as their first tooth appears. But in practice, it is quite difficult to accustom a 5-6-month-old baby to such a practice, which is why most parents put off the learning process. At the age of two years, these attempts are often resumed and, if they are successful, it is from this age that the baby becomes attached to the daily ritual of oral care. How to teach a child to brush his teeth at 2 years old?

Firstly, it is not at all necessary to wait until the child is exactly two. If your baby shows interest in a toothbrush, there is no need to deny him the pleasure of using it, but only for its intended purpose. By the way, from about six months you can slowly teach your child to maintain oral hygiene, namely, to wipe his teeth and gums with a special fingertip. Up to 6 months, the child’s mouth has a self-cleaning function - all excess goes away along with saliva.

Let's look into the details of how to teach a child to brush his teeth at 2 years old.

How to teach a child to brush their teeth at 2 years old

1. Be a role model. Children love to copy adults and often adopt the habits and habits of their parents. Therefore, it is by your example that you can teach your child to be clean. Let your baby watch you perform your morning routine, and very soon he will want to repeat after you. Praise the baby and consider that the matter is over.

2. Perhaps your baby does not show interest in morning procedures, in which case, you need to show and tell your child how the day should begin. But under no circumstances should you force your baby to perform the morning ritual, as there is a risk of discouragement.

3. Scolding is also not recommended. This method of influence is especially contraindicated if something does not work out for the child. When teaching any new process, it is very important that the child associates it with a pleasant, calm atmosphere. It’s better to try to correct children’s mistakes by taking the baby’s hand in yours and showing him how to act correctly.

4. How to teach a child to brush his teeth at 2 years old? If you want your child to readily approach this process, you need to do some preparatory work: show him what he will learn, demonstrate with your own eyes what brushing your teeth is and tell him why it is needed. After this, it is recommended to go with your child to the store and invite him to choose his own toothbrush. The more intricate and interesting the unit, the more interested the child will be in brushing his teeth. Toothbrushes for children can be brightly colored, have LED flashlights or musical effects, and their handle can be made, for example, in the shape of a fairy tale or cartoon character.

5. By the way, you can buy 2 or 3 brushes at once, so that the child chooses every day the one that suits his current mood.

6. Many children refuse to brush their teeth because of the unusual, often too strong taste of the toothpaste. That is why your baby needs to buy toothpaste with a pleasant smell or taste. So, kids will certainly appreciate toothpaste with the taste of berries, fruits or chewing gum.

7. Toy animals will help you. So, if your child doesn’t want to brush his teeth, tell him that all people and even animals do this. Then take your child's favorite toys and imitate the process of brushing his teeth. Pass the brush to your baby and let him brush the toys' teeth too. Very soon the child will want to familiarize himself with this process on his own.

8. How to teach a child to brush his teeth at 2 years old? To make the atmosphere more comfortable while brushing your teeth, turn on your baby’s favorite music. Music from a cartoon is ideal.

9. Teach your child oral hygiene by reading poems, fairy tales about teeth and watching cartoons and programs about self-care.

10. Not only will it teach your child to brush their teeth, but it will also contribute to the development of children’s imagination by drawing on a dental theme. Together you can come up with a story and depict it in a drawing.

It is absolutely not necessary for an adult to explain why they need to brush their teeth in the morning and evening every day throughout their life. Thanks to skillfully organized promotion of healthy hygiene, this habit is developed from childhood. But our children have yet to learn such skills, and their learning is not always successful. Many parents are seriously concerned about this question: how to teach a child to brush his teeth? After all, I would like the children to get used to this voluntarily, and everything would work out without any whims.

Yes, indeed, children sometimes simply do not understand the arguments of reason; many things that parents try to teach them are perceived by them as an imposition, and simply out of harm. In such cases, you first need to understand not how to force a child to brush his teeth (violence has never led to anything good), but how to convince him that he needs this skill for his own benefit, how to explain what this gives from the point of view in terms of hygiene and health. Let's try to understand the recommendations that child psychologists give.

Even if the baby’s teeth are still baby teeth, and they are destined to fall out by the age of five to seven years, it is imperative to take care of them. Not only proper digestion, but also:

formation of speech in a child;
work of the gastrointestinal tract.

Even baby teeth can succumb to caries, and plaque also forms on them. And don’t forget about the multiplying bacteria: your mouth remains full of them after each stage of feeding, and they quickly eat away tooth enamel.

If you bring the condition of your mouth to caries already with milk teeth, then with a high degree of probability it will then be “inherited” by permanent teeth. Therefore, loving and attentive parents should ensure that this does not happen. At first you will have to take care of your baby’s oral cavity yourself, and later you will need to teach him to do this himself.

When a child turns one year old, they begin to teach him to brush his teeth.

When can you start using a toothbrush?

Usually, after a year, children already have from 8 to 12 teeth. They can already be cleaned using a brush with soft bristles. You should choose a brush that is convenient for both an adult (at first he will have to perform this procedure himself) and a child, after you teach him.

At one and a half years old, the baby is already accustomed to the fact that the mouth needs to be rinsed with water after each meal. First, let him just drink boiled water, and then try rinsing his mouth with water and spitting it out. And already at two years old, the baby can begin to brush his teeth on his own.

It’s even easier to teach children by the age of 5-6 years. At this age they are quite independent, plus their bite changes - baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth grow in their place.

Why does imposition not help in this case?

If you try to forcibly teach your baby to do anything, you will most likely encounter protest - either pronounced or hidden. In the best case, the child will “submit” to the parental will, but brushing his teeth will only be for show, and you will not be able to control him every day. At worst, he simply won’t want to brush his teeth and will throw tantrums about it.

The main requirement for parents is patience and kindness. You can’t let your explanations look like boring notations, your daily reminders become an irritating factor.

The worst thing is if the training comes down to an angry remark - “do as I said, you must / listen to me.” Alas, good people can often be bad educators, and even while teaching your child useful things, you, with your own hands, unbeknownst to yourself, begin to create a wall of alienation between you. All your parental mistakes will not appear soon, but by the age of 14–16 it will be very difficult to deal with their consequences.

Algorithm for proper brushing of teeth and oral care

What should be the first skills?

In order to teach your child to brush their teeth, you should start from an early age. Initially, the mother herself will monitor the oral cavity of her baby, and if this process becomes mandatory and daily for the baby, it will already become familiar. Education begins with the appearance of the first teeth of a one-year-old baby:

Already the first milk clove must be carefully wiped either with special napkins or moistened gauze;
When there are already two or more teeth, start cleaning the spaces between them.

At two years old, a child can already be calmly taught to rinse his mouth with warm water, doing this every time after eating. Try to respectfully explain to him that although this is an important hygienic procedure, he can perform it himself, without the presence of adults. If you explain it in this way, the baby will definitely be imbued with the “importance of the moment,” because all children want to grow up as quickly as possible. And then he will rinse his mouth with special zeal, not forgetting, by the way, to remind you, his parents, about this - that rare case when “the eggs teach the chicken.”

How to buy a toothbrush

A child's toothbrush should be bright and sometimes musical

When there are enough teeth, it’s the toothbrush’s turn. And this is an important moment in the life of a toddler. After all, from the point of view of child psychology, a child by the age of two does not yet belong to himself. He is his mother’s, father’s, and grandmother’s, that is, he does not yet recognize himself as a person, he is simply the “property” of his loved ones. Now imagine what effect the appearance of an object that will become his property will have on him! After all, his parents buy him children’s outfits, shoes, jackets and toys; they perceive them simply as gifts - thank you, but nothing more. But this time:

you go to the pharmacy with him, and be sure to walk through several branches in your area, and everywhere together evaluate the children's toothbrushes laid out on the counter;
let the choice belong to him, you should not impose your opinion, but only tactfully advise if he asks you;
It would also be a good idea to ask a pharmacist for advice and listen to his explanation of how different brushes differ from each other. You need to listen to recommendations together, carefully, with the most serious look;
Along with the brush, it is worth buying a separate toothpaste, designed specifically for children.

Of course, it is advisable to buy the best, but always from what the baby himself wants. Having purchased a brush and a tube of paste, do not hide them in your bag, but give them to the child in his hands, and let him carry them home in the pocket of his coat, anticipating how he is now:

will come;
undresses (be careful, otherwise the baby from an overabundance of emotions may well rush to the bathroom right from the threshold, without even taking off his shoes);
will go to the bathroom;
brushes his teeth for the first time with his own brush;
carefully wash the brush and put it in a common glass, where father’s and mother’s brushes are already next to each other.

The psychological and educational effect of such a purchase can hardly be overestimated. If you arrange everything this way, then you are guaranteed to brush your child’s teeth every morning and every evening, because the baby will simply revel in his “adulthood” at such moments, never tired of being proud of the fact that he already has his own hygiene items.

Basic requirements for a toothbrush

Even if there is no one to get advice from, you yourself can help your child make a choice. The requirements for a proper toothbrush are as follows:

The handle of the brush is chosen to be long and thick enough so that it is comfortable to hold with a child’s hand;
the bristles should be soft, since the baby’s gums are still tender and weak, and hard bristles can hurt them;
It is better to choose a brush with synthetic bristles; such material, unlike natural ones, dries faster and does not allow germs to accumulate;
The head of the brush should be small, otherwise it will not be able to get into the most secluded corners of the child’s mouth.

But we have analyzed the ideal option, which, alas, is not always possible to implement in practice. Let's look at what should be done in a more typical situation, when you bought a brush for your offspring yourself, showed him how to use it correctly, and now you want to develop the corresponding skill in him.

To teach your child to brush their teeth regularly, psychologists advise parents to adhere to the following simple rules.

Rules for brushing teeth

Here are the basic rules that can be easily taught to a child by the age of six. Your baby should understand well that:

The brush must be taken with clean hands;
first it is washed with a stream of warm water;
then apply a small amount of toothpaste to the bristles;
rinse your mouth;
begin cleansing the oral cavity with alternating vertical, horizontal and circular movements.

After cleaning, you first need to rinse the brush itself with water, then return it to the cup, placing it upside down. The paste must remain in the mouth all this time. And only after completing manipulations with the brush, you can rinse your mouth with water.

conclusions

Teaching your baby to brush their teeth will require a lot of patience from parents. It’s better if you put the learning process into a game form, using all your imagination.

You need to start learning from a very early age. Let the child get used to the mandatory hygienic procedures that his mother will perform for him, and begin to consider them not burdensome and obligatory. This will make it easier for him to do them on his own later.

Why is it so important to brush your teeth?

Many people know that brushing your teeth twice a day is important for oral health. However, few people know why this is important.

Fresh breath

It is clear that the accumulation of food debris and the subsequent development of bacteria in the mouth will lead to bad breath.

Preventing bacteria with regular brushing is the key to maintaining fresh breath and preventing halitosis

Other steps you can take to prevent food from getting into your brush include drinking water and chewing sugar-free gum.

Preventing gum disease

Eating harmful foods, not visiting the dentist on time, and sometimes just the characteristics of the body can cause plaque if you don’t brush your teeth.

Everyone develops plaque on their teeth to some degree, and it's often caused by leftover food. This food deposit leads to bacteria and hardening. It is a white or yellowish substance between the teeth and at the gum line.

Bacteria in plaque irritate the gums and cause them to become inflamed and bleed when brushing. The first stage of gum disease is called gingivitis.

Brushing your teeth regularly will help prevent gum disease by preventing plaque from forming.

Removing stains on teeth

Investing in a quality toothpaste and using it twice a day will help prevent plaque buildup and unwanted breath.

If you have stains on your teeth, a low abrasive toothpaste is a great solution. Not only will it help eliminate bad breath and protect teeth and gums from bacteria, but it will also gently remove stains caused by coffee and red wine.

Brushing your teeth may help prevent dementia

Research has shown that patients with gum disease are more likely to suffer from dementia.

A study conducted by Chung Shan Medical University and the National Defense Medical Center, which was published in the scientific journal Alzheimer's Research and Therapy, found that people who had chronic periodontitis for 10 years or more had 70% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than in people without chronic periodontitis.

Gum disease and pregnancy

Not only can gum disease affect fertility, it can also have a negative impact on babies in the womb. Women with periodontitis had an increased likelihood that their babies would be born prematurely and be underweight.

When you are pregnant, everything you ingest will be passed on to the baby, so drinking alcohol and drinking too much caffeine are not recommended for pregnant women.

When you don't brush your teeth, the bacteria in your mouth enters your bloodstream, which is also your baby's bloodstream. It is very important to pay close attention to oral hygiene during pregnancy.

Reduces the likelihood of serious illness

Bacteria that form in dental plaque , can not only penetrate the bloodstream andinfluence the fetus in the uterus , but also increase the likelihood of the formation of bad cholesterol.

Gum disease is often associated with atherosclerosis, which is accompanied bycholesterol deposition . When these deposits accumulate, a heart attack or stroke can occur. Therefore, it is very important to prevent plaque from forming, especially if you are over 50 years old.

How to brush your teeth correctly

The main mistake many people make is that they brush their teeth with linear movements from right to left, and by doing so they simply push plaque into the spaces between the teeth. It is recommended to brush the front teeth using up and down movements with some nuances.

It is also worth noting that many people brush their teeth immediately after eating. However, it is at this time that tooth enamel is most vulnerable. Brushing your teeth is recommended 30 minutes after eating.

Here are a few rules you should remember:

1. The brushing procedure itself should take about 3 minutes.

2. The toothbrush should be held at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the teeth.

3. Brushing should begin with the front teeth, after which you should slowly move towards the back teeth.

4. When brushing your lower teeth, you should move the brush from bottom to top.

5. When brushing the upper teeth, the movements should be from top to bottom.

6. Using circular and simultaneous raking movements, you should clean the chewing surface of your teeth.

7. It is good to clean molars - hard-to-reach molars.

8. After brushing your teeth, spit out the toothpaste or rinse your mouth with a small amount of water. This should be done in such a way as not to wash off all the paste from your teeth. Otherwise, you risk washing away all the fluoride, which means it will not be able to have a beneficial effect on your teeth.

9. After brushing, you should clean your tongue using the bristles of a toothbrush.

10. It is better to use a soft toothbrush to brush your teeth. Its size and shape should be such that you can easily reach any tooth and easily clean it.

* Replace your brush every three months, or more often if it has lost its shape.

To be beneficial, brushing your teeth must be done every day. Most people finish their oral brushing routine too quickly. In a short time, you may remove the remaining food, but the plaque will remain, and this, in turn, can lead to the development of caries, as well as gum disease.

Try to sometimes change the side on which you start brushing your teeth. You can start brushing your teeth on the right side, and another time start the process from the lower jaw. This way you will begin to be more attentive to this process.

Brush your teeth once in the morning and once in the evening.

How to brush your teeth (video)

Of course, brushing your teeth is only part of a complete dental care routine. You should also:

1. Clean the cavities between the teeth, as this is where bacteria accumulate and develop. In some places the brush simply does not reach. Brushing between teeth should be done once a day to help remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gums.

2. Eat healthily by limiting your intake of sweets and snacks.

3. Visit the dentist regularly to prevent and treat oral diseases

How long should you brush your teeth?

In short, that's about 1,896 hours over a lifetime, but research shows that people actually brush their teeth for about half of that time.

The toothpaste you use must contain fluoride to strengthen your teeth against the ravages of tooth decay.

We brush our teeth if they have braces.

If you have braces, then you should brush your teeth even more often than just 2 times a day, and more specifically after each meal.

* A wearer of braces should cut food finely, especially apples and other hard foods.

* Refrain from eating soft candy, popcorn and other snacks and sweets that tend to get stuck in the teeth.

Moreover, in this case it is not easy to clean your teeth from plaque, which means it is advisable for you to purchase:

Special orthodontic brush equipped with V-shaped bristles

Special fluoride toothpaste

Special brushes

Irrigator

Mouthwash

* It wouldn't hurt to get some dental floss.

Here's how to clean:

1. Use a toothbrush to remove plaque from the surface of your teeth. In this case, it is recommended to spend at least 10 seconds on each tooth.

2. Treat your braces with special brushes. The space under the braces should also be treated.

3. The floss will help get rid of food debris between the teeth.

4. Other hard-to-reach places should be cleaned using an irrigator.

5. Finally, you can rinse your mouth with a special mouthwash.

Brush your teeth with the right brush

One common mistake is that people buy either a brush that is too soft or too hard.

In addition, some people buy either a brush that is too large or, conversely, too small, which also affects the quality of teeth cleaning.

How to choose a toothbrush?

The bristles can be either soft or medium-hard, which is what works best for most people.

Here are a few simple rules for choosing a toothbrush:

1. If you have healthy gums, then you can safely use a medium-hard toothbrush.

* Try to use brushes that have a long handle and rubber parts on it so that your hand does not slip and you can adjust the pressure.

* If you have problems with your gums or tooth enamel, it is better to use soft brushes. This also applies to children under 12 years of age, even if they have healthy teeth and gums.

2. According to experts, the length of the toothbrush head can vary between 2 and 3 cm, its height should not exceed 2 cm, and its width should be about 1.5 cm.

* Try to use a multi-tuft brush, that is, a toothbrush consisting of individual tufts and bristles, and preferably with curves at the end of these tufts.

* As mentioned, use one brush for no longer than 3 months, and it’s better to change a soft toothbrush every 2 months

Which brush is better: regular or electric?

In fact, it doesn't matter what kind of brush you use: regular or electric. Both types clean equally well as long as you use a good fluoride toothpaste, use proper brush strokes, and brush twice a day.

However, some people find it much more convenient to use an electric toothbrush to deep clean their teeth.

It's also worth noting that some experts believe that an electric toothbrush can clean between teeth better.

The type of brush you choose is entirely up to you. But it is worth mentioning that an electric brush is more suitable for people with hand and shoulder conditions, such as arthritis.

Children over three years old can already use an electric toothbrush.

Remember, if you brush your teeth correctly, it doesn’t matter what type of brush you use.

What toothpaste should I use to brush my teeth?

Choose fluoride toothpaste. For adults, it is advisable to use a paste that contains 1350–1500 ppm fluoride.

It is worth noting that children can also use this paste, but children under three years old should use very little paste, and children under six years old should not exceed the volume of a pea.

If the child does not suffer from caries, he can purchase children's toothpaste with a low fluoride content (1000 ppm).

In any case, it is worth consulting with a dentist, who can tell you which toothpaste is best for you and your child.

Should I use mouthwash?

Using a mouthwash that contains fluoride can help prevent tooth decay. However, you shouldn't use mouthwash - even fluoride - immediately after brushing your teeth, otherwise it will wash away the concentrated fluoride from the toothpaste left on your teeth. Choose a different time to use mouthwash, such as after lunch. It is advised not to eat or drink for 30 minutes after using mouthwash.

How long to brush your teeth

You shouldn't brush your teeth too often. If you do this, there is a risk of damage to tooth enamel and gums.

Experts say that with frequent brushing of teeth, the bristles of the brush wear out faster, its edges become uneven, which means the brushing process will be similar to cleaning with a knife.

In addition, you should not press too hard on the toothbrush.

Brush your teeth after eating

Many people have developed the habit of snacking, quickly brushing their teeth afterward, and continuing with their business.

However, this approach harms the teeth and does not protect them in any way.

Experts advise brushing your teeth 30-60 minutes after eating.

The fact is that our teeth are protected from bacteria or acid, and by brushing our teeth immediately after eating, we destroy this protection. This can mean that it only takes one bacteria to get inside a tooth to cause more damage than a million bacteria.

When is the best time to brush your teeth: before or after breakfast?

So far, there hasn't been enough research around the world to indicate the best time to brush your teeth.

* But there are also those who claim that you need to brush your teeth before breakfast. This is necessary in order to clean the tongue, as well as tooth enamel, from bacterial plaque. If you do not brush your teeth before breakfast, you will swallow food along with plaque, which means that there is a risk of harming the gastrointestinal tract.

* You can take the golden mean - brush your teeth before breakfast, and after it simply rinse your mouth with water or saline solution.

The main thing is to brush your teeth in the morning and evening before going to bed so that food stuck after eating does not harm your teeth.

How to properly brush children's teeth

There is an opinion among parents that children’s baby teeth should not be taken care of, because sooner or later they will fall out and new ones will grow in their place.

This is a misconception, and a child’s teeth need to be brushed, even baby ones.

Baby teeth also have enamel, but it is quite weak, and caries can affect it very quickly. It is worth noting that caries in children is also associated with nutrition. Even if your baby is not yet breastfed, breast milk and formula contain sugar.

Rchild brushes his teeth

If children's teeth have been affected by caries, there is a high risk of developing an infection that can affect not only the teeth, but also other parts of the body. Such infections can cause tonsillitis and even pyelonephritis.

There are practically no children who would be happy to see a dentist. And if caries starts, toothache will begin, and the child will not be able to chew food normally.

The worst-case scenario is tooth extraction, but according to experts, removing a baby tooth prematurely can harm the process of bite formation. In addition, removal of a baby tooth can cause speech impediment, as well as crooked permanent teeth.

All these arguments indicate that baby teeth need to be well looked after.

Whenworth startingbrush your teeth

It is difficult to name the exact age at which you should start brushing and caring for your teeth. The reason is simple – you should start caring for your teeth as soon as they appear, and each person’s teeth grow differently.

As a rule, a person’s very first tooth appears at the age of six months, but it often happens that for some this period comes earlier, and for others even within a year.

When the first tooth erupts, the local immunity of the oral cavity begins to decrease, which means the risk of developing an infection increases if you do not carefully start brushing the tooth. In addition, a small wound will form around the emerging tooth, and the child will experience extremely unpleasant sensations during brushing.

Before teeth appear

1. According to some experts, it is worth starting to take care of your oral cavity before your teeth have even erupted. The fact is that even when there are no teeth, there are accumulations of microorganisms on the mucous membrane that can cause unpleasant diseases, including stomatitis and gingivitis.

2. If you start taking care of your oral cavity at an early age, this will instill in your child the habit of hygiene, which means the toothbrush will not turn into an enemy.

3. Some dentists advise taking care of your gums at 3-4 months, that is, approximately 2-3 months before the first tooth erupts.

Cleaning teeth with dental floss

Dental floss was created to help clean spaces in teeth that a toothbrush simply cannot reach. It is believed that by cleaning the spaces between the teeth, we prevent the formation of tartar and also significantly strengthen our gums.

1. For good cleaning, you need to take at least 20 cm of thread, and preferably longer (30-40 cm).

2. Wrap the edges of the thread around your index or middle fingers.

3. Grasp the dental floss using the thumb and index finger of each hand. You should end up with about 3-5cm of loose thread.

4. You need to tighten the floss and start cleaning between your teeth.

5. Move the floss in a gentle up and down motion, touching your teeth.

*Treat each tooth in this manner from all sides.

* It is not recommended to “saw” with dental floss, as there is a risk of injury to the gums.

*You should first floss your teeth and only then use a brush.

In the US, the Department of Health has decided to no longer recommend flossing.

The fact is that scientists have not been able to study how effective it is to use dental floss.

In an attempt to find out how this happened, journalists studied many works written over the past 10 years.

Few scientific studies were found that, at best, compared the effect obtained from using toothpaste with the effect obtained from using toothpaste and floss.

Scientists, as it turned out, found rather weak evidence in favor of flossing, and the results themselves were based on rather controversial research methodology.

* For example, the duration of one of the experiments was only two weeks, although caries simply cannot develop in such a short period of time under any circumstances.

* In another experiment, only 25 subjects were given dental floss to brush their teeth, and then only once, which, of course, was not enough to measure any changes.

*It's also worth noting that some of these studies were funded by dental floss manufacturers

Is it possiblebrush your teeth with soda

Oral cavity

Baking soda is an antiseptic that can disinfect the mouth when needed. Soda solution is usually used as an antiseptic and antifungal agent.

The fact is that a solution of soda creates an alkaline environment in the oral cavity, which is extremely unfavorable for bacteria.

Rinsing your mouth with baking soda is safe and healthy, as it not only prevents bacteria from developing, but also helps get rid of unpleasant odor.

Teeth

But brushing your teeth with soda cannot be called safe. Yes, soda cleans teeth, but this happens because it has abrasive properties. This means that its small particles simply remove plaque along with the top layer of tooth enamel.

Negative effects of soda

1. It is the abrasive properties of soda that can lead to injury to the gums, which can become bleeding.

2. Often, after using soda to brush your teeth, rashes appear around the mouth, which, in fact, are an allergic reaction.

How to Reduce Damage from Soda

1. You should brush your teeth with soda no more than once every 10 days.

2. When cleaning with a soda solution, use only a soft-bristled brush, a cotton swab, or, as a last resort, your finger.

3. After cleansing, you should not eat hot or cold food for a couple of hours.

* If you use this procedure and feel pain while eating hot or cold food, immediately stop using baking soda to brush your teeth.

* To keep your tooth enamel healthy, use only fluoride-containing toothpastes enriched with minerals.

* You can also use a fluoride rinse to strengthen the enamel.

* If you decide to brush your teeth with a soda solution to whiten your teeth, you should eat foods that contain calcium (nuts, dairy products, garlic, parsley, parmesan)

Mistakes we make when brushing our teeth

1. You use one brush for too long.

2. Too muchfastcleanteeth.

You should brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes and twice a day. Many people don't do this, brushing their teeth for only about 45 seconds. Try setting a timer, maybe it will help you. You can also play your favorite music while brushing your teeth.

3. Brush your teeth too aggressively.

Treat your teeth gently. Pressing too hard on your toothbrush can damage your gums.

4. Brush your teeth immediately after eating.

You may think that you need to clean your teeth of food debris as quickly as possible, but immediately after eating, your teeth are very vulnerable and you can damage their enamel. Wait 60 minutes and then start cleaning. Immediately after eating, you can rinse your mouth with water or chew sugar-free gum.

5. Store your toothbrush incorrectly.

When you're done brushing your teeth, place your toothbrush upright (in a cup or holder) and let it air dry. Do not keep your toothbrush in a closed container, where germs can quickly multiply.

6. Use a brush with stiff bristles.

Soft bristles are safe. You need to be careful when brushing your teeth. Talk to your dentist about which toothbrush is best for you.

7. Brush your teeth incorrectly.

Here is one method of brushing your teeth. Remember to hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums. Then gently move the brush back and forth in short strokes across the width of your teeth. Next, clean the outer surfaces, inner surfaces, and chewing surfaces of the teeth. Finally, to clean the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and make a few up and down strokes.

8. Using a brush that doesn't suit you.

There are many toothbrushes that can help keep your teeth fresh and clean, both regular and electric. Both types work well. Try different types until you find one you're comfortable with. No matter what you choose, remember that it's not just about the brush, but how you use it!

In matters of child care, the topic of dental and oral care occupies a special place. Parents always have a lot of questions: do they need to brush their baby teeth? When to start brushing your teeth? Which hygiene products are suitable for little ones and which ones are suitable for older children? So that mothers do not have to wait for a dentist’s consultation at the clinic, we will try to give answers to the most important questions.

Why should a baby brush his teeth?

Among parents, you can come across the opinion that there is no need to take care of baby teeth - they will change anyway. This opinion is erroneous, and a small child still needs to brush his teeth. The fact is that the enamel of baby teeth is very weak, so caries affects it very easily. The risk of developing caries is also not associated with the type of diet: even if the child is not yet receiving complementary foods, his teeth may be damaged, since both mother's breast milk and formula contain sugar.

Teeth affected by caries can become a source of infection, which can spread throughout the body and cause serious illnesses from sore throat to pyelonephritis. Meeting dentists at an early age is unlikely to make a child happy, and advanced caries means toothache, exclusion of the diseased tooth from the chewing process (which means the child will not be able to chew food properly), and in the worst case, tooth extraction. By the way, it is highly undesirable to remove baby teeth before their natural replacement. This can disrupt the process of bite formation, lead to speech defects or curvature of permanent teeth. To prevent such serious consequences, it is imperative to take care of baby teeth.

Video tips for parents on how to teach their child to brush their teeth

When to start taking care of your teeth?

It is difficult to name a specific age at which you should start caring for your teeth. The fact is that you need to brush your teeth from the moment they appear, and this is a very individual process. On average, the first tooth appears in the mouth at the age of 6 months, but some children acquire teeth earlier, and some only delight their parents with this event at one year of age. A tooth is considered to have erupted if at least one tip has emerged from the gum. True, caring for it during this period is twofold: on the one hand, during the period of teething, the local immunity of the oral cavity decreases, and the risk of contracting an infection is high. On the other hand, the gums are inflamed and a real wound forms around the cutting tooth, so brushing can be very painful for the child.

Some dentists are of the opinion that oral care should begin without waiting for the first teeth. Firstly, even in the absence of teeth in the mouth and complementary foods in the diet, microorganisms accumulate on the mucous membrane that can cause such unpleasant diseases as stomatitis, gingivitis, and candidiasis. Secondly, early initiation of oral care helps develop hygiene habits, and a toothbrush no longer causes such protest in the child. According to this approach, gum care should begin 2-3 months before the appearance of the first teeth, that is, at the age of 3-4 months.

Children's oral care products

Before baby teeth emerge, child oral hygiene involves wiping the gums and tongue. In this way, you can easily remove harmful plaque and cleanse your baby’s mouth of bacteria. You can also wipe the very first teeth, which will be unpleasant to clean even with a soft brush. The following products can be used for wiping:

A gauze swab or bandage moistened with boiled water (the water can be slightly salted) . Cotton wool cannot be used for these purposes: it does not suit the texture (has no roughness) and can leave fibers behind;
Toothpicker finger wipes with xylitol. Serve to cleanse the mouth and teeth, relieve pain from cutting teeth, prevent children's teeth, protect gums, and prevent caries. Available in mint and banana flavors. eat without taste. They are used to clean not only teeth, but the entire oral cavity. Designed for children from birth to 6 years;
Dental wipes. Oral wipes "spiffies" with grape or apple flavor. They are impregnated with a special safe antiseptic - xylitol, so they disinfect the oral cavity well. They are used to clean not only teeth, but the entire oral cavity. The only negative is that this option will be expensive for the family budget, since the napkins are disposable and are not cheap.

After about six months, the child’s ejection reflex disappears. From now on, you can use other means to clean your teeth:

A silicone finger brush will be needed from 6 months to 1 year. At this age, the child cannot yet hold a toothbrush on his own and make the necessary movements, so it will be more convenient to brush his teeth with the help of such a brush;
Classic children's toothbrush. Such a brush should have soft bristles, a short comfortable handle and a cleaning surface with an area of about 2 children's teeth.

You should use toothpaste along with the brush. Toothpaste is also selected according to the age of the child:

Gel toothpaste with a neutral or milky taste is suitable for children who are not yet receiving complementary foods. This paste does not contain abrasive substances, and the neutral or milky taste does not cause discomfort or rejection in the child;
Toothpaste with fruit flavor. Children who are already familiar with complementary feeding respond well to “fruit” paste: banana, raspberry, strawberry.

How to brush your teeth correctly

You need to brush your teeth 2 times a day: morning and evening. Each procedure should last about 2-3 minutes, but you can start cleaning with less time so that the child gets used to it gradually.

It is very important not just to formally follow the procedure, but to brush your teeth correctly. The rules for brushing children's teeth are not much different from those for adults, but it would be a good idea to remind them.

The brush should be applied to the teeth at an angle of 45 degrees and make “sweeping” movements with it from the gums to the cutting edge of the tooth.
You need to brush your teeth both from the outside and from the inside.
The chewing surface of the teeth should be cleaned using circular, progressive movements.
Don’t forget the tongue: it also needs to be cleaned using the back of the brush (almost all brushes have a rough outer side just for this purpose).

How to teach a child to brush their teeth on their own: we learn by playing

A child usually begins brushing their teeth on their own by the age of two, and the first attempts to hold a brush in their hands appear around the age of two. The best way to teach your child how to use a toothbrush is by example. Children tend to imitate adults, because this is the best way to learn new skills. That’s why it’s best to start by going to the bath together in the mornings and evenings. Of course, the baby’s first attempts will be very far from perfect, but that’s why parents are needed nearby to guide the inept hand.

Another good way is to put a mirror in front of the baby. Children love to look at their reflection. Seeing himself, it is easier for the child to control his movements and it is more interesting to observe where he reaches with the brush.

To make a useful activity also interesting, you can add game elements to it. Some games have particularly proven themselves.

It will be interesting for the little ones to brush their teeth to the beat of their favorite counting rhyme, song or poem. Particularly talented mothers can even compose a poem themselves, in which the child’s name will sound;
With older children, brushing your teeth can be turned into a secret mission to protect your baby from the evil Caries;
It is very effective to involve the child’s favorite toys and go brush his teeth with a bear or doll;
To practice brushing skills, you can organize family competitions to see who can brush their teeth the fastest. Parents, of course, should give in and lose the competition.

Video: how to teach a 10-11 month old child to brush his teeth and how to make him like the procedure:

If your baby refuses to brush his teeth

It’s rare that brushing teeth is immediately perceived by a child as a “hurray!” A child may resist a toothbrush because he perceives it as a foreign object (if we are talking about early dental care), or because brushing causes or once caused him discomfort (for example, during the period of active teething). In any case, parents should not give up.

Even if the baby refuses, continue trying to involve him in the hygiene procedure, but do not insist too much. It is enough just to offer your child to brush his teeth every day;
Try different products: brushes, fingertips, different pastes. Perhaps the reason lies precisely in the rejection of a particular remedy;
Turn dental care into a game. Toys, poems, songs put the baby in the right mood.

Real video of a mother brushing her teeth at 1 year 9 months old (watch for everyone. Pay attention to the child’s reaction :)

When do baby teeth change?

The replacement of baby teeth begins at the age of 5-7 years. When permanent teeth begin to form, the roots of the milk teeth begin to dissolve. The teeth become loose and gradually fall out. Baby teeth fall out in the same order as they erupt. To slightly speed up the process of baby teeth falling out, you can let your child chew on fresh vegetables and fruits - this increases the chewing load.

Changing teeth is a long process. It can last for 7-9 years. All permanent teeth finally erupt by the age of 14-16, and “wisdom teeth” can appear only at 20-25 years.

To prevent the toothbrush itself from becoming a breeding ground for infection, it must be treated every week, rinsing well with hot water. The brush needs to be changed every 2-3 months, and if the child gets sick, it is better to replace the brush to prevent re-infection.
Children's toothpaste should not contain fluoride. Since children do not yet know how to rinse their mouths, they swallow the paste. Fluorine, entering the body through the digestive tract, tends to accumulate in the body, and this element is very toxic.
Visit the dentist regularly, even if your child is not worried. A preventive inspection allows you to identify problems at the very beginning and eliminate them in a timely manner.

School of Health

Topic: How to teach a child to brush his teeth?

Proper care of baby teeth is a guarantee of healthy permanent teeth, so you need to pay attention to this issue literally from the cradle. The health of the child is very dependent on the parents, and they have the power not only to keep the teeth healthy, but also to instill in the child a useful habit: carefully look after the teeth and maintain oral hygiene.

Good Doctor Dentist cartoon for children about teeth

Lessons from Pinga and Kroki: how to teach a child to brush his teeth:

Let's learn together - Why brush your teeth - Hello Kitty cartoon:

Note to moms!

Hello girls! Today I will tell you how I managed to get in shape, lose 20 kilograms, and finally get rid of the terrible complexes of fat people. I hope you find the information useful!