Brushing teeth daily is a habit that many children are asked by their parents to help them protect their teeth. If you brush your teeth incorrectly, it is easy for bacteria to grow and attack your teeth and gums, causing tooth enamel to wear away. Proper oral health care will help children have strong, healthy teeth in the future. So, what is the best way to care for children’s teeth? What specific dental care regimen should a child have at each age? Please refer to the following article to get your answer!
1. Causes of dental disease in children
Tooth decay from a young age will affect the child’s oral health and psychological communication when he becomes an adult. The important reason is that many parents are not aware of the importance of their children’s teeth, thinking that their children are still young so it is not necessary to brush their teeth every day.
The level of living improves, leading to a lot of changes in eating habits. In the past, fresh food was mainly popular, so the diet was somewhat healthier. Nowadays, canned foods, fast foods, and carbonated and sugary drinks are increasingly popular. This is the cause of dental diseases in children
According to many studies on dentistry, excess sugar in food and bacteria in a child’s oral cavity, when combined together, will form plaque on the teeth. If you do not brush your teeth every day, the bacteria in plaque will secrete harmful acids, destroy tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. Long-term plaque will form tartar (tartar) causing gingivitis, periodontitis, and even tooth loss if not treated promptly.
2. How to Take Care of Children’s Teeth
For children, they should clean their teeth, gums and protect their teeth in the following ways:
How to take care of teeth for 1-year-old children, use a soft and damp cloth to clean the gums. When the child is older, you can use a toothbrush. You should choose a soft-bristled toothbrush with a small brush head and change the brush regularly (when the brush shows signs of fraying).
For oral care for children aged 2 years and older, you can give them children’s toothpaste and should only use a very small amount. You should choose a toothpaste low in fluoride and supplemented with calcium.
Avoid foods that are high in sugar, especially foods that stay in the mouth for a long time such as candy, soft drinks and some nutritious foods such as dried fruits that also contain a lot of sugar. Therefore, after eating, children should rinse their mouth immediately.
If the child has the habit of thumb sucking, parents need to help the child eliminate these habits early to avoid the child’s teeth from being crooked later.
3. How to care for children’s teeth according to each age
Early dental health care for children is a very important issue for parents. There are many ways to protect and prevent children’s dental disease, parents need to pay attention to this. Choose an age-appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste and guide your child to brush their teeth properly.
How to care for children’s teeth 1 year old and under: mothers need to clean the child’s gums with soft gauze soaked in diluted warm water to keep the child’s gums clean.
How to care for children’s teeth from 1 – 2 years old: parents should actively brush their child’s teeth, from when the baby has not yet grown teeth until the first few teeth appear. first.
Dental care for children from 3 to 6 years old: is the period when children begin to grow molars, gradually change teeth, transition from baby teeth to permanent teeth. At this time, children should brush their teeth every day under the supervision of parents.
Dental care for elementary school students (from 6 to 9 years old): parents still need to regularly check their teeth brushing. children to ensure they brush their teeth properly.
4. How to train children to brush their teeth properly?
Divide a reasonable time to brush teeth, then parents guide children to brush their teeth regularly. Twice a day (morning and evening before going to bed).
Teach children to brush their teeth properly so that they do not experience discomfort and bring about better oral care and protection by: placing the toothbrush gently so that the bristles fit snugly on the surface of the teeth, brushing each group of teeth, each group has 2 – 3 teeth, brushing all three sides: front, back and chewing surface of the teeth, brushing time is about 2 – 3 hours. minutes.
Choose the right toothpaste for each level child’s age, ensure the toothpaste ingredients are safe if the child accidentally swallows it. The toothbrush should have a round headSmall with a brush neck so children can easily rotate when brushing deep into the back of the teeth. Furthermore, you should choose super soft bristles to easily remove plaque and not scratch your child’s gums.
5. Some basic principles in taking care of your baby’s teeth
Increase your baby’s intake of nutritious foods, especially foods high in calcium, low in sugar and acid; Encourage children to drink plenty of water every day.
Brush teeth twice a day, after eating and before going to bed; Brushing teeth needs to be gentle, using a soft-bristled toothbrush and small brush head to best protect teeth and gums.
Regular dental check-ups every 6 months, even if the child’s teeth have no problems, to detect dental problems early and have appropriate treatment methods.
Through the above sharing, we hope you will have more useful information about taking care of your baby’s teeth, supporting them with the best dental care.
For adults, then Dental care also needs attention. Please refer to this article on how to properly care for your teeth every day!
