EASY TOOTHBRUSHING TIPS FOR INFANTS, TOTS AND TEENS Written By: Dr. Ankita Shah, February 2019

It may sound confusing when I say that your baby's oral care must start right from infancy, even when they have no teeth. Although eruption of milk teeth starts 6 months onward, baby feeds including mother's milk, bottled milk and other infant formulas lead to a caries conducive environment for these teeth. This occurs mainly due to neglect on our part to rinse or clean their mouth on a timely basis and a child's inability to gargle his/her own mouth.

ORAL HYGIENE CARE FOR CHILDREN VARIES AT DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS :

FOR INFANTS (0-12 MONTHS) :

During infancy, parents bear the sole responsibility of their child's oral care. The key is to secure the child and have easy access to their mouth. To do so,you can hold the child firmly either on a table top or in a knee to knee position or cuddle the child in your arms, whichever is most comfortable to you . At the outset when no teeth have erupted, parents should wrap a soft and thin washcloth or gauze damped in lukewarm water to clean the gumpads. This cleaning technique should be employed through the course of the day, especially after night feeds.

FOR TODDLERS (1-3 YEARS) :

During this age, the motor skills of children are underdeveloped. Children are good imitators, hence they should be encouraged to learn a regular tooth brushing routine with the family. Since most teeth erupt during this phase, brushing should be followed in a systematic and organised way. The parent can sit on his/her knees behind the child and tilt the child's head to their shoulder level for easy access and vision. Kids are still not accustomed to expectorate well, thus only a smear of toothpaste should be used.

FOR PRESCHOOLERS (3-5 YEARS) :

Children are enthusiastic and enjoy doing things on their own, even though the manual dexterity needed is still not attained. Giving them their own set of toothbrush, encourages them to form a good oral hygiene routine. Parents should still continue undertaking the responsibility of regularly brushing their child's teeth. The position can be similar to that used for toddlers. Tooth paste can be used to a pea sized amount.

FOR PRE-ADOLESCENT (6-11 YEARS) :

The child can gradually start learning the correct technique to brush his/her teeth. They need good guideline and supervision to master the technique of brushing. Disclosing agents are dyes which may be used to make it easy for a child to understand when their teeth are thoroughly cleaned. These dyes stain the plaque, indicating the areas which are not clean.

FOR ADOLESCENT (10-18 YEARS) :

Children in this age group have the ability to follow the instructions without supervision and can adequately perform thorough oral hygiene procedures. Teenagers may require extra motivation to perform tooth brushing on a regular basis.

Follow these guidelines for a healthy smile. Brush your teeth and crush those cavities!

Keywords : baby's oral care, child, kids, infancy, children, parents, gumpads, tooth brushing, infants, manual dexterity, toddlers, preschoolers, oral hygiene procedures, pre-adolescent, adolescent

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