Over the years, the American Dental Association has recommended that all adults should brush their teeth twice each day for right around two minutes. Brushing your teeth this often for this long should help to get your teeth as clean as you can get them.
But unfortunately, not everyone listens to what the ADA has to say when it comes to brushing teeth. One recent survey revealed that about one-third of adults either brush their teeth for too long or don’t brush them long enough.
If you have kids, it’s going to be very important for you to teach them how to brush teeth so that they don’t grow up to fall into one of these categories. You’ll be able to help them maintain healthy teeth and gums by showing them how to go about caring for teeth by brushing teeth for the right amount of time.
Learn more about how long kids should brush their teeth below.
To Start, When Should Your Kids Begin Brushing Teeth?
As a parent, it’s going to be up to you to make sure your kids’ teeth get brushed pretty much from the beginning. As soon as your kids’ teeth start coming in, they’re going to need to get brushed every day.
Obviously, brushing teeth isn’t going to be something your kids can do when they’re still babies. But you can take a small toothbrush with soft bristles and brush their teeth for them when they’re still on the younger side.
You should continue to do this throughout the toddler years and potentially even up until they’re 5 or 6 years old. While you can hand your kids toothbrushes and let them give brushing a try, they aren’t going to have the motor skills and dexterity that it’ll take to get them completely clean before then.
But by the time your kids are 5 or 6, they should be able to hold a toothbrush on their own and use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste to brush their teeth from all angles. You can give them the freedom to brush their own teeth from there on out.
How Long Should Your Kids Brush Their Teeth?
Regardless of whether you’re brushing your kids’ teeth or they’re brushing teeth on their own, it’s going to be imperative that their teeth get brushed for a long enough time. Otherwise, their teeth aren’t going to get clean enough every time they brush them.
So, how long should your kids brush their teeth? Generally speaking, they should do it for somewhere between two and three minutes, according to most dentists.
Many adults can get away with brushing their teeth for just two minutes at a time. But since your kids will still be learning how to brush teeth, you might want to tack on an extra minute so that they’re able to brush them well.
You want to avoid having your kids brush their teeth for too long, though. This could actually do more harm to their teeth and gums than good. You might want to set a timer for between two and three minutes for them so that they know when to start and stop brushing teeth.
What Should Your Kids Do While Brushing Their Teeth?
When your kids are brushing teeth, you should emphasize the importance of brushing all the teeth inside their mouths. Often, kids will focus on only brushing their front teeth and skip the ones in the back entirely.
You should also tell your kids that they need to focus on brushing both the front and the back of their teeth. You should show them how to use small circles to hit their teeth from all possible angles to get them as clean as they’re going to get.
How Can You Help Your Kids Brush Their Teeth Better?
You can help your children brush their teeth by making it fun for them. You might want to brush your teeth alongside them so that they’re able to mimic your movements and brush their teeth just like you.
You might also want to do this so that you can sit and watch your kids brush their teeth while you’re in the room. It’ll enable you to make suggestions as far as how they could be brushing their teeth better.
Whatever you do, you shouldn’t leave your kids alone and trust that they’re doing a good job brushing teeth. There are a lot of kids who don’t love the idea of brushing their teeth, so if you aren’t around to watch them, they might not do it right or they might decide not to do it at all.
What Will Happen If Your Kids Don’t Brush Their Teeth Properly?
If your kids don’t brush their teeth in the right way, you might not think that it’ll be a big deal. Their teeth aren’t going to be that old, so how much harm could not brushing really cause?
But the fact of the matter is that kids can experience things like tooth decay and even cavities just like adults can. Your kids could be at risk for these things if they don’t take brushing teeth seriously enough.
You’re also going to establish bad dental hygiene habits for your kids if you don’t show them how to brush their teeth right and see to it that they brush for at least two minutes at a time. It could come back to bite them later on in life if they don’t change their ways.
Contact Us to Make a Dentist Appointment for Your Kids
In addition to having your kids brush their teeth twice a day for about two to three minutes at a time, you should also have them see a dentist every six months. We would love to help you schedule an appointment for your child at our offices in Mt. Washington, KY or Shepherdsville, KY.
Contact us for an appointment so that your kids can get in and see a pediatric dentist soon. We would also be more than happy to provide you with more tips on helping your kids with brushing teeth.
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