The short answer to this one is yes. Flossing is an essential part of anyone’s daily oral care routine and should be carried out once a day. Floss properly is simply the most effective way to prevent plaque from building up in between the teeth.
Plaque is a sticky substance consisting largely of bacteria and it forms on teeth after carbohydrates have been consumed, for example, bread, milk, candy or cakes. If plaque isn’t regularly removed then it will produce acid that not only infects and inflames the gum tissue and can cause gum disease, but which can increase the risk of tooth decay.
Keeping Your Child’s Teeth Healthy by Floss Properly
By flossing your child’s teeth and eventually teaching them how to floss properly themselves, you’ll be helping them to prevent kids tooth decay so they can keep a beautiful, healthy smile well into adulthood.
Kids lack sufficient dexterity to look after their own teeth so you do need to clean their teeth thoroughly for them and this includes flossing as soon as these teeth come into contact with each other. Ideally, you need a length of floss approximately 18 inches long and you should wrap each end around your middle finger. Use your thumbs and index fingers as a guide for gently inserting the floss in between your child’s teeth.
How to Teach Your Child to Floss
The easiest way to do this is to have your child sitting on your lap while you floss properly their teeth. We do realize it’s never going to be a straightforward task, at least in the beginning.
This is why we can provide you with a practical demonstration on flossing as well as lots of other tips to help make this task less stressful for you both. It’s possible you may need to experiment with several different types of floss until you find one that is perfect for your child’s teeth.
If your kid wants to have a go at flossing on their own then that’s fine but you may need to floss properly afterwards. Get them to watch how you floss properly your teeth so they can try to copy your actions.
Kids Oral Hygiene Instruction in New Jersey
As your child gets older, they will definitely want to begin brushing and flossing on their own but you will still need to supervise them. This is another occasion where our pediatric dentists and our hygienists can offer you help.
We are all specially trained to work with children and can explain to your child the instructions of brushing and flossing. We will instruct them to brush and floss properly. We find this is the very best way to teach a young child good oral habits from a very early age and before they can begin using ineffective methods of cleaning their teeth that could stick with them for life.
By teaching them the proper way to carry out these essential tasks. We hope to build healthy oral habits that will stay with them well into adulthood. The really great thing about teaching a young child to floss properly at such an early age is that they will grow up knowing that daily flossing is just part of their everyday routine.
Read about flossing as an essential part of a daily oral care routine. Floss properly is simply the most effective way to prevent plaque from building up in between the teeth.
