How to brush your teeth properly

Children ( up to 4 yrs )

Very young children are not able to brush their teeth by themselves. It is important that mum or dad help them to make sure that the teeth are cleaned properly. Please let them try themselves, as they get older, and then come in and finish off.

Children ( up to 8/9 yrs )

Young children do not have as yet a high level of manual dexterity so demonstrate a simple scrub type brushing technique. We stress the need to cover all the tooth surfaces, but remembering the most beneficial part of brushing is the time spent cleaning; 2 minutes is about all I can expect a young child to do. Get them to time themselves, and their parents - suggest that at least once a day the whole family, where possible, clean their teeth together. This is to show children that cleaning your teeth is not just something " mum & dad tell you to do " but is an important part of your daily routine. For young children a brush length of no more than 2cm and half that in width is ideal. Most manufacturers now produce excellent children's brushes. The use of disclosing tablets are a useful adjunct to brushing - used for both thorough cleaning and then testing their brushing effectiveness. They should brush 2 or 3 times read more