Making Tooth-brushing a Priority in Your Child's Bedtime Routine

The bedtime routine can be challenging when dealing with small children. It’s hard to get them to settle down and focus on the job at hand – especially when that job is brushing & flossing. 

So how can a parent make sure to make tooth-brushing a priority every single night?  

Develop a Regular Routine

Kids thrive on routine.  They like to know what’s coming next.  Make bedtime a relaxing time filled with quiet rituals.

First set a definite time for bed. Not 8 to 9 p.m., but 8 o’clock sharp (or whatever time you choose).  Don’t deviate from that time, unless it is necessary.  If your child must be in bed by 8 p.m., then you should begin nighttime rituals at 7.  Most experts agree that it takes a child about an hour to get in the mood for bed.
Be sure to do your set rituals in the same order every night. For instance, begin with a light snack, take a bath, get the pajamas on, brush the teeth and read a story together. Once a child knows that it’s time to brush their teeth every night after the PJ’s are put on, it will become an ingrained habit that happens automatically without even a reminder. 

Make Brushing Fun

Giving your child an electric toothbrush or a sparkly toothpaste is a good way to entice him or her to brush.  The most important thing is finding what gets your child to brush so the routine can be established and maintained.
Here are a few simple ways to make tooth brushing every night more memorable:

• Have a brushing contest. Stand next to your child and see who can brush the longest.  The goal is to brush for two minutes.  This ensures thorough cleaning of the teeth and gives the fluoride enough time to help remineralize the enamel.
• Use disclosing tablets or a disclosing mouth rinse. Kids love to see what a good job they’ve done. Disclosing mouth rinse or tablets color the plaque which shows areas where they may have missed while brushing.
• Award good behavior.  Brushing is a behavior that deserves reward. A sticker system is a great idea to motivate the little ones to brush and floss. Every time the child brushes without a hassle or without being told when it’s time to brush, place a sticker on the chart. You decide how many stickers it takes to earn a small reward.
•  Let them gargle.  If your children are old enough, purchase some children’s mouthwash and let them finish their evening brushing with a good rinse and gargle.

Offer Lots of Praise

If there is one thing every kid loves it is praise.  Be sure to give loads of praise for a job well done.
Bedtime brushing and flossing should never be an afterthought.  If you as the parent make it a priority, so will your children –and that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Is It Safe For My Child To Use Mouthwash?

Using mouthwash has numerous benefits: fresher breath, cleaner teeth, and to a small degree, plaque and tartar control.  But is it safe for children?

Small Children Should Steer Clear of Mouthwash and Oral Rinses

Most dental experts agree that mouthwash products should be avoided until the child reaches at least the age of six. This is about the time when they can control their swallowing reflex and spit out the wash after rinsing.  Even child-safe rinses aren’t really made to be ingested by young children.
Remember, the ingredients in these rinses can be harmful if swallowed.  

Elementary Aged Children Can Begin to Rinse

Around the age of 6, it is usually safe to begin introducing child-safe rinsing products.  Most are alcohol free and can help the child begin to establish a healthy oral care routine that will last a lifetime.  Here are some tips for helping your children use mouthwash safely:

• Give younger children small amounts of rinse at the beginning until they are used to the process. That way if they accidentally swallow some, it will be okay.
• Show children how to rinse and spit. Believe it or not, this isn’t always an easy concept.
• Never use oral rinses as a substitute for brushing.  Mouthwash cannot get rid of food debris or remove plaque like brushing and flossing do.  It should be used to rinse the mouth at the end of the tooth cleaning regimen, unless it is a disclosing solution that the child is using at the beginning of the brushing routine, to see the plaque for thorough removal.

Kids with Braces Should Always Rinse

Children with braces should use mouthwash and high fluoride rinses to help keep the teeth healthy.  One of the biggest pitfalls of wearing braces is that food gets stuck in them which can lead to tooth decay. Using an antimicrobial mouthwash can help kill bacteria that produce the acid that causes cavities.  This can save your child from dental treatment and possibly needing the braces removed until better hygiene habits are formed.

Teens Love Mouthwash

Of course, teenagers are very aware of bad breath and often turn to mouthwash to help freshen the breath. This is perfectly fine, as long as they are still brushing and flossing regularly.  Bad breath is a sign of bacterial buildup in the mouth, which is often the result of poor brushing and flossing habits.  Stress this fact to your teen. While mouthwash can help to give anyone a fresher feeling mouth, it is no substitute for good oral hygiene practices. 

Which Mouthwash is Best?

One trip down the oral care aisle and you will notice quite a few oral rinses available for both children and adults.  When choosing the right one, consider these important factors:

• How old is your child?  Younger children should only use child-approved, alcohol free rinses.
• Do you need extra fluoride?  Fluoride based rinses can be especially helpful in fighting cavities, especially for children who live in areas that do not fluoridate the water supply.
• Are you fighting bacteria?  If your child or teen is battling bad breath, it may be a sign that he or she has too much bacteria in his or her mouth. Using an antimicrobial rinse can help kill bacteria stuck between teeth, offering fresher breath and a healthier mouth.

Allowing children to use mouthwash rinses can be a big decision for parents.  Follow these simple suggestions to ensure that when you do make this important decision, it is the right one for your child. 

Help! My Child is Teething!

Baby’s first tooth is a momentous milestone. It is a sign that your baby is growing. Soon you will be able to begin introducing solid foods. But first you both have to survive the teething process!

When Teething Begins

The average child will begin teething around the age of six months.  However, some kids are born with teeth; some begin the process at 3 months; others don’t see the first tooth until the first birthday. Kids may experience a lot of discomfort, letting their parents know something is amiss.  Others are surprised to discover that the first tooth has erupted without warning.  Consider yourself and your child fortunate if he or she goes through the teething process with no discomfort!  The teething process usually is done around the age of 3.

How Many Teeth Can We Expect?

Considering how rough teething can be. It is no wonder that new parents want to know how many times they (and their child) are going to have to go through the process. On average, your child will have 20 primary teeth, about a dozen less than permanent ones.  But don’t panic!  Teeth erupt in pairs and not every tooth is going to cause discomfort. Usually just the first few and the molars are the most uncomfortable.

What Can We Expect?

Every parent has heard the horror stories of babies that scream all night or spike high fevers when teething.  You may notice your child drooling more than usual and chewing on toys, fingers, or things they normally would not.  Others can become irritable, develop rashes, pull on their ears, spike a fever, or even appear as if they have a cold.  Diarrhea and coughing have also been reported.  Although you should never dismiss these symptoms, if your child’s gums seem red and irritated even though they have been getting brushed routinely, the odds are good that your child is not sick; they're simply working on getting a tooth.

What Should We Do?

Parents feel helpless when their child isn’t feeling well. Add loss of sleep to these feelings and teething can become a long process for all to endure.  Here are a few tips for getting through the experience:

• Offer your child some soothing items.  A cool, damp wash cloth is usually comforting for a teething child to chew on.  Teething rings may also help to ease the discomfort of the teething process.  Make sure this is not too cold or frozen because this can further irritate the child’s gums.  Think about Ralphie’s tongue getting stuck to the flag pole in “A Christmas Story.”  Instead of freezing it, place the teething ring in the back of the refrigerator instead.
• Use Children’s Tylenol or Ibuprofen as needed.  If your child is in pain, or develops a low grade fever, an over-the-counter pain reliever may help.
• Offer cold drinks and food.  If your child is old enough to eat ice cream, cold yogurt, or cold applesauce, these foods can help. Cold foods and drinks can soothe irritated gums.
• Offer counter pressure. Some babies respond quite well to parents firmly rubbing irritated gums. Others may be too uncomfortable. 

Helping a child deal with the pain and discomfort of teething isn’t always easy and is usually a trial and error experience.  Try several different methods of relief until you find what works best for your little teether.

How to wean your child from the pacifier

For years, pacifiers have been used to help soothe and calm fussy babies. According to American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), both pacifier and finger sucking are considered normal behavior in infants and toddlers. Pacifiers are used to provide comfort and security to children during the early stages of development. It is important that you wean your child off of the pacifier at the right age to avoid certain types of dental related issues. When weaning your child from the pacifier, there are a few key things to keep in mind.

Give and Take

Weaning your child from his or her pacifier can be done cold turkey or gradually. However, you can't remove the pacifier from the equation in one fell swoop and expect a smooth transition. One great thing to do is to replace it with some type of transitional object.

It helps if you can identify the primary reason why your child is hesitant to give up the pacifier in the first place. If that child uses the pacifier as a rudimentary form of stress relief, consider replacing it with a teddy bear or stuffed animal of some sort that your child likes. The stuffed animal can accomplish the same thing and in certain cases can be more effective.

Positive Reinforcement

Another great way to wean your child from his or her pacifier is through the age-old art of positive reinforcement. Allow the child to make the decision him or herself, but with a bit of a catch. Maybe for voluntarily giving up the pacifier, he or she can be rewarded with a fun activity or even a delicious treat.

Get the Timing Just Right

Another key to weaning your child off the pacifier is to make sure the timing is right. Remember, pacifiers are used to provide comfort and security so prior to weaning, make sure your child is not going to encounter a stressful situation where comfort may be needed.  If you're in the process of moving, for example, such a major life change may make the weaning process difficult. The same can be true of the first day of school and other important life events.