Oral Hygiene For Kids - Taking care of kids' teeth

Click here for original video with audio and minus the ads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_el9f8CC1os&watch_response

How to care for your child's teeth and gums and the importance of early dental care. This discusses proper diet and brushing and flossing technique for maintaining healthy teeth and gums in children. The importance that the parent, the child, and the dentist all three play is emphasized.

See above link for fixed audio or here is script of the original audio:
Oral health is a very important part of a child's overall health and development. The way a child's teeth are cared for early in life can have profound effects on their teeth in the future. This is why learning and practicing good oral health habits can help children grow up with less dental complications and a healthier smile. An important aspect in the overall oral health of a child is their diet. Food products or drinks that are high in sugars lead to increased decay and breakdown of tooth structure. This is why it is important for children to eat well-balanced meals with foods from the five major food groups including meat, fish, or eggs; fruits; vegetables; bread and grain products; and milk, cheese, or yogurts. It is also important that children minimize juices high in sugar and instead drink either milk or water. One of the most important ways to help maintain a healthy smile that is free of decay is proper brushing. Most children will need help with brushing until they are six or seven years old and they will require supervision until about ten. Children should only use a pea sized dot of toothpaste and be sure not to swallow it. To properly brush their teeth, place the toothbrush along the gumline where the gum meets the tooth. Run the toothbrush gently back and forth in small strokes going from one part of the mouth to another making sure to clean all the way back to the last tooth. Be sure to clean all surfaces of the teeth including the outside of the tooth, the sides facing the tongue, and the biting surface. When you are done brushing the teeth, the tongue should be gently brushed as well. A good method for younger children is to have the child sit in the lap of one of the parents and lean their head back into the lap of the other parent. This way one parent can keep the child from moving while the other parent focuses on brushing their teeth. Children should brush twice a day for two minutes. Along with brushing, flossing is also an important tool in maintaining good oral health. Parents will usually need to help their child floss until their child is old enough to floss on their own. Take a piece of floss about the length of your arm and wrap it around your middle fingers and gently hold it with your thumb and index fingers. Gently work the floss back and forth until you can get it inbetween two teeth. Once the floss is between the teeth curl it forward forming a c-shape and slide it up and down so that it rubs against the tooth. Now pull the floss backwards and do the same on the other tooth. Continue this method between all teeth in the mouth making sure not to forget the teeth in the very back. Children should floss once a day. A key player in helping your child maintain good oral health is the dentist. The dentist will be able to check for and treat any existing dental decay as well as monitor proper growth and development of teeth. In addition, up-to-date dental visits will allow the dentist to perform preventive measures such as fluoride treatment and sealants which can help protect the teeth and decrease the need for future dental treatment thus saving both time and money for the patient. Most patients will need to be seen every six months for the cleaning and checkup appointments. Keeping your child's teeth and gums healthy is a team effort between the parent, the child, and the dentist. With proper diet, oral hygiene, and regular dental visits we can all look forward to our children having healthy smiles for years to come.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• oral
• children
• teeth
• brushing
• dentist
• kids
• tooth
• care
• diet
• food
• mouth
• dental
• cavity
• caries
• gum
• disease
• decay
• candy

[fleececheck10]

too much music ... loud..

[dougsfield]

@fleececheck10 If its too loud, just turn the volume down. Actually to see the original video you need to click on "Oral Hygiene For Kids - Taking Care of Kids Teeth II" above. That one has the original soundtrack with the narrative. The audio track from this one was cut by YouTube due to one commercial song that was not allowed. The original one has the music softer and has the actual narrative on oral hygiene.

[dougsfield]

For the ADA's actual recommendations on brushing technique just google "proper brushing technique".

[dentistdownunder]

Brushing sideway is wrong! It can damage the gum. Correct way is very gentle small circular movements along the gum.

[dougsfield]

Actually, both techniques are considered correct. If one brushes side to side, they should angle the toothbrush down towards the gumline at 45 degrees with a gentle stroke. Using ANY brushing technique with a HARD toothbrush or with too much pressure (including an electric toothbrush) can cause gum recession and then root abrasion. Always use a soft toothbrush and with a gentle stroke.

[Natureshadow05]

Cool - this video shows kids that it is entirely ok to have some fillings and steel caps in their milk teeth - look at the model dentures ...

[dougsfield]

"Milk teeth" or deciduous teeth are very important to the development of a child's dentition. That is why it is important to have early dental care. The goal is to prevent most if not all tooth decay which I have seen in many of my pediatric patients as well as my own kids. However, when there is decay it should be corrected with an appropriate restoration. You don't want to leave decayed or abscessed teeth in the mouth whether "milk teeth" or permanent teeth.

[DentalImplantsAZ]

OOOOOO ,just love the blue tooth brush.But is it correct to brush side way ? According to me,may be its right to do in small circular motion.The video is so perfect,its shows all the process of child dental care in an efficient ay.Kids while brushing are looking too cute.Love you all............ 

[pyradragon]

Kids have a short attention span.

[DentalImplantsGB]

Children need a better oral health care.

They often brush their teeth in a playful manner and thus they don't clean it properly.

In this video where on a false teeth brushing has been shown, I would like to say something on the procedure shown here.

For proper cleaning the motion of brushing should be round.