How to Brush and Floss Your Child's Teeth

For parents with young children, teaching them how to brush and floss can be a complicated process that takes some time to really click. It’s important to stick with it to help your children develop healthy habits that will last them a lifetime.

The American Dental Association has some excellent online resources that offer basic instructions for brushing and flossing. Let’s briefly go over these instructions.

Brushing

  1. Use a 45-degree angle to the gums to prepare for brushing.

  2. When brushing, use short, gentle back and forth strokes. Avoid brushing too hard, as this could potentially damage the teeth or gums.

  3. Brush all of the surfaces of the teeth, both front and back, as well as the chewing surfaces. Plaque builds up on all surfaces, so it’s important they all get cleaned properly.

  4. When cleaning the back of the front teeth, use a vertical tilt with the brush and simple up and down strokes, again keeping the pressure on the brush light.

  5. Don’t forget to brush the tongue! Brushing the tongue removes bacteria and helps to freshen the breath. Make this a regular part of your child’s brushing routine.

Flossing

  1. Use about 18 inches of floss—no need to use any more than that, and it will give you enough to work with. Wind the floss around your two middle fingers.

  2. Keep the floss taut with your thumbs and forefingers as you insert it into the spaces between your teeth.

  3. When flossing, curve the floss into a “C” against the side of the tooth to get the most cleaning action possible.

  4. Be gentle. Run the floss up and down and make sure it stays pressed against the tooth. If you jerk or snap the floss around you’ll be more likely to injure your gums and cause some bleeding.

  5. Make sure you get all your teeth! This includes flossing behind the back teeth, even though there are no further teeth behind them.

It can be helpful to make brushing and flossing time something your children look forward to. Try adding a song as part of the brushing, so they know how long they need to brush for and to give them a positive association. Keep it light and happy while brushing and flossing so your child doesn’t get stressed out or anxious.

For further tips about brushing and flossing with children, contact us today!