80% of parents make mistakes when brushing their children's teeth.

I often receive questions from parents: Although their children are very attentive and control the amount of sweets they give, they rinse their mouths after eating and brush their teeth carefully in the morning and evening. Why are their teeth still rotten? After understanding the situation, it is mostly due to problems with the brushing method. Many parents themselves are not sure how to brush their teeth well, let alone clean them for their babies. Over time, babies will have a mouth full of rotten teeth. 80% of parents will make the following mistakes, take a look at how many you have hit.

Common mistakes in brushing teeth

We used to think that children could brush their teeth by themselves at the age of 6, but now it seems inappropriate. Moreover, at the age of 6 or 7, it is the time for children to start changing their teeth. Letting go at this time not only causes the previously white teeth to turn white, but also the newly grown permanent teeth that have never been cleaned thoroughly since birth. If they break, it will be a lifelong regret.

Although there is no specific time point mentioned in the fifth edition of Children's Oral Medicine, parents are still required to help brush some difficult to clean areas for school aged children aged 6-12 in the first half of this stage. That means that after third or fourth grade, older children aged nine or ten are capable of brushing their teeth on their own.

Many parents feel that their children can't brush their teeth for long and the amount used is not large, so they simply buy adult toothpaste that can be used in one step without changing. This idea is incorrect. Adult toothpaste generally has a much higher fluoride content than children's toothpaste, and the substances added to the ingredients may not be suitable for babies to use, thereby damaging the baby's oral mucosa and causing diseases. Moreover, adult toothpaste is often designed to freshen breath and may not be suitable for babies' taste in terms of seasoning, which can easily make babies develop aversion to brushing their teeth. It is recommended to use children's toothpaste with mild ingredients and sweet and fragrant seasonings.

There are problems with brushing techniques. Many parents themselves do not know what scientific brushing techniques are, and they are accustomed to brushing horizontally. Over time, this can cause a wedge-shaped defect in the neck of the teeth, leading to gum recession. Then the teeth will become very sensitive, and eating stimulating food will cause abnormal soreness, and in severe cases, even lead to pulpitis. The correct approach is to use the Babbitt brushing method, also known as the 'horizontal vibration brushing method', which should be brushed for at least 2 minutes each time.

Parents who have had their children's baby teeth filled in between their teeth will most likely remember that when these teeth break, they become a pair of children, starting from the gap and turning black, and then forming a hole. It's not enough to rely on a toothbrush between teeth. You also need to use dental floss to clean them next to each other. You can use it once a day; Children can use the P-shaped dental floss shown in the picture to clean themselves; Parents will find it more convenient to use a Y-shaped design and clean each child one by one.

Many parents have a habit of brushing their teeth like cleaning, feeling that they have been brushed clean after brushing each tooth step by step. How to urge their children to rinse their mouths quickly completes the task of brushing their teeth. How many parents will carefully examine the areas that have been brushed after their children finish brushing their teeth to see if they have all been brushed? Long term failure to review and brush teeth may result in a missing area in the mouth, which can eventually lead to tooth decay.

How do parents brush their babies' teeth

We suggest that parents should help children brush their teeth before the age of six to seven, because most children are just imitating adults to brush their teeth, and they themselves do not know whether their teeth are truly cleaned. If parents do not carefully check their children's teeth every day and do not clean them in a timely and effective manner, it may lead to tooth decay. Mastering the correct and scientific way of brushing teeth is an effective method for preventing tooth decay. We can divide the teeth in the oral cavity into four areas: upper, lower, left, and right. Each area has five small teeth, and each small tooth is divided into three faces. The top face is the biting and chewing face, the outer face is the face near the cheek, and the inner face is the face near the tongue.

Brushing posture

Parents and babies can stand in front of the mirror, with the parents at the right rear of the baby, gently supporting the baby's chin with their left hand, making the baby's head slightly upward. Parents can see the baby's mouth clearly, and the baby can see the parents and themselves in the mirror. This position is very beneficial for babies to learn how to brush their teeth. During the brushing process, we choose a toothbrush of appropriate size and then apply an appropriate amount of toothpaste to clean the children's teeth. Parents hold a toothbrush in their right hand and ask their baby to open their mouth, insert it into their mouth from the corner of their mouth, and brush back and forth on the bite surface of their teeth. They can count 10 to 20 times and observe the child's cooperation. Then we tilted the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle and placed it at the junction of the teeth and gums, gently shaking the tooth surface horizontally with small force, brushing two teeth back and forth about ten times each time. Brush the outer side and brush the inner side. If the baby can cooperate to grit their teeth, place the bristles on the tooth surface while the upper and lower teeth are biting, gradually moving forward from the upper teeth to the lower teeth. When brushing the inner surface of the baby's upper and lower front teeth, the brush head should be upright and the occlusal surface of the molars should be brushed back and forth.