Oral Hygiene (Brushing for Success) at Salthouse Smiles

Floss First!!! 

• Flossing first does a few things. The fist and most important is that if it is at the start of the routine it is less likely to be skipped. It also helps loosen plaque and remove it and food from the in between the teeth. This gives the toothbrush a better chance clear everything out when we start brushing
• Regular floss can be used, or the floss picks. For children the floss picks are fantastic because they are quick and easy, and less likely to have a little one nibble on your finger
• I encourage flossing lying down with the kiddos, just like you were at the dentist
  • I have the parent sit cross legged and have the child lean their head back in their parents lap
  • This allows the parent to floss much easier and be able to see better
  • To get the bottom teeth the child can simply open
  •  To get the top teeth have the child “look at my tummy,” or “look at the wall behind us.” 
    • The child will either tilt their head back and chin up, or 
    • Roll over and look in your direction.
      • If this happens simply reposition and have them tilt their chin up
  • I find it extremely difficult to floss a standing patient, so if I find it difficult, a non-dental professional finds it even more so
    • We position our patients to make our job possible!

• Remember that children before they have all of their primary teeth only need a “smear” to “rice-grain-size” amount of toothpaste
• Once a child has all of their primary teeth and is around age 3, they begin to use a “pea-sized” amount of toothpaste
  • This is the same for adults.
  • Following the size guideline will help in preventing excess foam while we are brushing and make it less messy with the child 
• If you have an electric toothbrush with a larger head it works just as the adult manual toothbrush
  • At times the pediatric toothbrush and electric toothbrushes have a very small heads, and do not cover a lot of ground, and it makes parents task more difficult and take longer
  • I would rather give you a broom to clean than a high powered paintbrush
  • The adult head will cover canine to second baby molar and will not go too far back, it is nearly the perfect size to clean all of the back teeth with the same stroke
• Similarly how we have the child lay down to floss, you can also brush in this fashion!
  • If we do this, I recommend having a wash clothe to get extra toothpaste and clean the child’s face should the brushing be messy
  • I normally recommend this for younger children or if we have had difficulty brushing standing up at home
    • If we have difficulty with cooperation of brushing at home I suggest that toothbrushing be a two adult task.
    • This allows one person to brush the child’s teeth while the other may ensure the child is safe and still while their partner brushes

• I do not include a mouthwash in the children’s bed time routine

• • • If the child would like to use one at night because mom and dad use one that is fine
    • If children want to get a benefit from a mouth rinse I typically advise they use one outside of brushing time
      • This normally means after lunch if the child is home during the day
      • After school / daycare if the child is not home during the day
    • The reason for this is that for children we typically recommend a fluoride or anti-cavity rinse, but the tooth paste already has stronger fluoride than the rinse, and the toothpaste lasts longer than the rinse
    • It is better for the children to get another fluoride application in between the brushes than right before the brushes

• You should spit your tooth paste out, but do not rinse
• The toothpaste is the medicine that works to heal the teeth and stop cavities
• If we rinse with mouth rinse or water after we are simply replacing the toothpaste
• Though as adults we get no benefit from swallowing toothpaste, children do
  • The fluoride makes its way to the teeth and incorporates itself into the growing adult teeth! This makes the teeth much more resistant to cavities when they finally erupt!