At Radiant Smiles Family Dentistry in Kirkland, Washington, we encourage our patients to take good care of your child’s baby teeth to ensure a lifetime of healthy smiles. Dr. Danlu Lee & Wendy Yeung would like to share some basic guidelines to help you care for your child’s smile in the early years. In the beginning, cleaning your child’s teeth is easy–simply wipe their gums with a damp washcloth. Once their first tooth comes in, you will want to do the following:
- Moisten a soft-bristled baby toothbrush with water. Once your child turns 2 you can use toothpaste. Use a sweet toothpaste, like bubblegum or fruit flavor.
- Place your child in your lap and tilt their head back against your body. This allows you to see all areas inside their mouth.
- You will want to angle the toothbrush bristles towards the gums and brush in gentle circles to clean both teeth and massage the gums.
- Brush the inside and outside of teeth and gums.
- When cleaning the molars, brush gently on the surfaces.
- Have your child spit out the toothpaste when you are done.
You will need to clean your child’s teeth until they develop the manual dexterity to do it properly, usually around 8 years of age. Once two teeth begin to touch, you will want to start flossing between them once a day, and using a fun-flavored floss will help your child enjoy this chore.
At Radiant Smiles Family Dentistry in Kirkland, Washington, we encourage you to take good care of your child’s baby teeth to build a healthy oral foundation for a lifetime of smiles. To schedule their first visit, please call (425) 828.9721 today. Dr. Danlu Lee & Wendy Yeung wish you and your child healthy smiles!