Many men and women, including children, brush their teeth too aggressively, leading to gums receding or pulling away from teeth.
It’s important to start children out right. We need to teach them how to clean their teeth without harming their gums.
Gum recession is when your gum line exposes more of your teeth, or in severe cases, your tooth root. It leads to a pocket of space between your teeth and gum line. Decay-causing bacteria can grow and fester in that pocket. This leads to serious issues down the line. Even tooth loss.
Longer or Harder?
The best way to get pearly whites (and prevent cavities) is to brush properly for a longer period o time.
Teach kids to gently brush their teeth. It doesn’t take a lot of strength to clean food bits and plaque off of teeth. It takes careful attention, not a heavy hand.
When you are finished brushing, it’s time to floss. Make sure you get the floss into the pocket between the teeth.
When you brush your teeth rapidly, you may not be getting all the particles of food off. You don’t want the fragments of food to turn into plaque.
Teach your children to be certain they brush their teeth with a slow circular motion for at least two minutes. More is fine.
Methodically go over each tooth on every surface. Plus the tongue. Set a timer on your phone. Play your child’s favorite two-minute song.
Use a toothpaste with fluoride. The fluoride helps teeth re-harden after eating or drinking enamel-weakening acidic foods and beverages.
Need Some Help From The Tooth Fairy?
Download an app that makes brushing a game. Brush Up, Tooth Defenders, and My Virtual Tooth are some examples. (Note that Russell Anderson Jr. Dentistry is not affiliated with either company.)
Characters like Superheroes and the Tooth Fairy teach proper brushing. Kids earn prizes for daily oral hygiene.
The dental hygienists at Russell Anderson Jr. Dentistry are another resource for oral hygiene education. Bring your child in for an exam and kid-friendly lesson on proper tooth brushing.
Contact Russell Anderson Jr. Dentistry:
770-419-2535
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1415 Wooten Lake Rd NW Ste 300
Kennesaw, Georgia
30144
