NEW MOMS

I am back it has been quite busy lately but I have been meaning to post so here it is...

A good way to instill good oral hygiene habits in your children is to start early. Even as early as infancy. It is also a good idea to clean your child's gums after you feed him/her/them (Octomom). This not only feels good to the child, but it will stimulate their gums, remove food/plaque/ debris, and get them used to you brushing there teeth. Stores now have little gauze like pads that slip right over your finger for this very purpose, but you don't need to waste your money on that (you 'll spend plenty of it on diapers...) instead take a soft wash cloth, soak it in water and gently massage the gums.

When your child's teeth begin to erupt go ahead and brush them with a small, soft toothbrush and a dab a children's toothpaste(a pea size amount).

Around ages 2-3 yrs old they will likely want to brush their teeth, go ahead and teach them but always get in there yourself after they brush to make sure they didn't miss any teeth. Children don't often have the dexterity to brush on their own until about age 8 , so this is really important to do.(some adults lack the dexterity too )

TIP: A great way to check if they are getting all the plaque off is to get a rubber tip stimulator. You can sweep this along the margin of the gum line and across the tooth surface; if white stuff (plaque) comes off it is a pretty safe bet you need to brush their teeth after they do because they are not getting it all off . OR you can wait till they become cavities :(

What is a rubber tip stimulator?

Well they actually used to put this on the other end of our toothbrush when we were younger but they have seemed to disappear. For some odd reason these are very hard to find but still very practical. Most dental office still hand them out for free but you can also get them online if you can't find them in stores.