How to Help Your Child Establish a Solid Oral Hygiene Routine

From the moment your child’s teeth begin coming in, it’s important that they remain clean. Brushing their gums and teeth for them is easy when they’re a baby, but they’ll need to learn this skill themselves. Once your child is old enough to hold and use a toothbrush, they should begin learning how and when to brush their teeth. Beyond that, they should be familiar with calm, nonthreatening experiences at their dentist. 

At the practice of Dr. Padmaja Yalamanchili in Fairfax, Virginia, Dr. Yalamanchili provides relaxed children’s dentistry that focuses on education and solid at-home oral hygiene regimens practices by the entire family.

Establishing an oral hygiene routine

While your baby’s first teeth are impermanent, the lessons your child will learn while caring for them will last forever. This is why it’s crucial for parents to teach their children about oral hygiene and instill good habits before adult teeth start coming in. 

You can begin caring for your child’s teeth by brushing them yourself. Try to brush at least once per day before putting the baby to bed; this prevents food or milk from sitting in their mouth overnight. 

By the time your baby is a year old, you should be brushing twice per day. This should help with teething and get your baby used to having their teeth brushed and worked on. 

When you are consistent with brushing your child’s teeth, they begin to learn from your habits. Make sure to brush properly, and let them hold the brush while you guide their hand. With time, you can go from participating in their hygiene routine to observing it, and eventually just reminding them to brush independently. 

How a head start helps 

Introducing the toothbrush early and making it a part of their daily routine sets your child up for success. They won’t wake up or go to bed without thinking about it, thus improving their oral hygiene and protecting their teeth. 

You should also begin visiting the dentist regularly starting at the age of one year or as soon as the first of their baby teeth comes in. Establishing a rapport with a pediatric dentist can simplify the process and make your child more comfortable. 

It’s not unusual for children to experience dental problems, including tooth decay, thumb sucking, and tongue thrusting. Later on, they may need braces or other work to keep their smile looking fantastic and functioning properly. This can mean they’ll be seeing a lot of their dentist in the coming years, so they need to be familiar with the process. 

If your child has dental anxiety, don’t worry. Dr. Yalamanchili offers nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to ease nervous children and give them a more positive experience. But if you start bringing your child when they are very small, we can make sitting in the dentist’s chair a fun experience, and they may never need laughing gas at all!

To learn more about pediatric dentistry, call 703-213-5312 or book an appointment online.