Developing Good Dental Habits

There are a lot of reasons for good hygiene of your mouth besides fresh breath and beautiful smile. When you look at it from the science side, the main reason for flossing and brushing your teeth is to get rid of that film of bacteria that would like to live on your gum line and in all the nooks and crannies around your teeth and gumlines. If you remove this nastiness daily throughout your life, it should serve you well to have a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

The time to start a child with a toothbrush is when their first baby tooth shows up. As a parent, you should use a clean but damp washcloth and wipe gently on the infant’s new teeth. When they are about age 2, and there are more teeth, start establishing a toothbrushing routine with only a smear of fluoride type toothpaste. As they grow and become toddlers, they can graduate to a pea-sized amount of that toothpaste on their brush. You should help your child until they are about age six years old and by then they should be more dexterous and know what they are doing. Your dentist in Burnaby is glad to help in that teaching experience.

• Make sure your child knows how to check to see if their teeth are clean. Tell them to run their tongue over their teeth. If they feel smooth, then they have done a great job. You can also use a child’s size microfine, multi-tuft little brush. You hold it to the gum line and wiggle it back and forth gently until the surface of the tooth feels clean making sure you clean down to the gum line.
• Don’t transfer your germs to your child! Babies are not born with that nasty stuff that decays their teeth. It is transferred later from grandparents, parents, and their caregivers. Never share your baby’s spoon, never kiss your baby on his/her lips, never lick their pacifier to get it cleaned off, that is all disgusting. Whatever you do, make sure your teeth are in good health too by seeing a dentist near you.
• Thumb sucking and pacifiers should go bye-bye by age three. It is normal for a baby to suck its finger or thumb for comfort as they even practice this when they are still in the uterus. You will find that most children will stop on their own between two and four years old. If sucking habits are allowed to go on, and the child keeps sucking the finger, a thumb or even a pacifier for an extended period, it could cause their upper teeth to move out toward the lip or not go into correct position and may develop problems with their upper jaw.
• The number one trauma to children’s teeth is damage to the upper front teeth and its usually during contact sports. Don’t forget to call the emergency dentist near you if you need help.
• If your kid is into sports and considered an athlete, likes to skateboard, rollerblade, or other extreme sports, he/she is sixty more times prone to run into some real dental harm if he does not wear a mouthguard. The mouthguard doesn’t just protect their teeth, but their jaw joints, the soft tissues of their lips, their gums, tongue, cheeks, and jawbones.
• You can purchase an over the counter mouthguard anywhere, but one made here at the dentist near Burnaby is designed just to fit your kid’s mouth that uses a model of his/her teeth will be better protected. Yes, the custom-made guard does cost more, but in the long run, it will be offset when it keeps your son or daughter from having expensive dental treatments for having their teeth knocked out, and this device will last for years.

If you have any questions about the services we offer, feel free to contact our local dentistry near you at Burnaby Heights Dental Centre. Book an appointment online today!