A Parents Guide To Flossing Children’s Teeth

Flossing is just as important as brushing when it comes to caring for your children’s teeth since it helps lower the risk of decay and gum disease. Making this into a daily routine can help ensure that your children develop good dental habits for baby teeth and permanent teeth. Use the following to help you get started on flossing your children’s teeth.

When to Start

You should start flossing your children’s teeth when they have most of their baby teeth. As teeth come in next to each other, you’ll have a chance to begin cleaning between them. This generally happens when children are around two years old or older. It takes time to teach young children how to floss. At first, you’ll be the one handling this for them. Your children can start flossing their teeth on their own when they get better at developing fine motor skills.

How to Floss

Flossing your children’s teeth is similar to how you floss your own teeth. Take a long strand of floss, and wrap some of it around your middle finger of each hand. Move the floss gently between your children’s teeth, and slide it up and down against each tooth. While you do this, avoid pressing too hard on the gums. When your children can hold floss on their own, guide them through these movements until they’re able to do them without help.

Tips for Making Flossing Fun

You can get your children into the habit of flossing daily by making it more fun. Consider doing a reward chart for your children where they earn stickers or stars for flossing and a bigger reward when they fill up the chart.

Regular dental checkups are vital to healthy gums and teeth. Call Dentistry On Carmel today to schedule your dental appointment.