If you have children, you’re eventually going to have to transition them to brushing on their own. So, how do you know when a child is ready?
Properly brushing your teeth requires fine motor skills and understanding that is probably beyond children under the age of about six. Such children may assume that their teeth are clean simply because the look or feel clean. They may not grasp that they need to brush all of their teeth, and not simply the exposed part of their front teeth. With the minty taste of their toothpaste, they may not know to not swallow it when they’re done brushing.
In their early years, it is a good idea to let children watch you brush your own teeth and do some practice brushing under your supervision. Put a pea-sized drop of paste on their brushes, then guide their hand in front of a mirror. Assure that they cover the top, front, and back of each tooth, scrubbing in a circular motion and gently massaging their gums. If you require any further help, bring your child to our Federal Way dentistry clinic.
