If it's an annoying necessity for you, how on earth are you supposed to motivate your children to brush twice a day? Dental hygiene experts say it's all about the routine, offer eight tips that will set your children up for decades of clean teeth.
It's one of those magical moments parents get to enjoy. The first little tooth pops out of a baby's gums, and with it starts a years-long battle to get them to brush their teeth.
Once the first chomper is out, what should parents do?
"It's ultimately an educational process, like everything else," says Professor Dietmar Oesterreich, Vice President of the German Dental Association. "You need to approach it with a certain continuity and avoid coercion."
His advice is to make brushing your teeth a fixed ritual in your daily routine right from the start. "If you follow through from your first baby tooth to the start of school, it becomes second nature."
Especially with increasing age, he says, it is often no longer a question of technique - instead, it is a question of having taken good care of the ritual.
From the first tooth onwards, parents should clean the tooth well and clean the upper lip area - or the labial frenulum. Though be sure to be gentle in order not to hurt the child or have them create a negative association to brushing teeth.
How and what to use: Parents can best brush toddlers' teeth with a tooth brush with a small head and soft bristles, says the Vice President of the German Dental Association Johanna Kant. Finger swabs for baby's mouths are not as effective, and using a tooth brush early on helps to create good habits.
A rice-grain-sized amount of a children's toothpaste with fluoride provides the best possible protection against tooth decay.
Parents should be aware of their role in inspiring your child to brush regularly, as they will often copy your habits.
It can help if you brush their teeth together from time to time - so that the child can see how you do it. Try also picking out the toothbrush together in the shop.
It's best for parents to book an appointment with the dentist once the first tooth arrives. This way, the little one can get to know the surroundings and learn that a visit there is something quite normal.
Children are not automatically afraid of the dentist - this fear is often the result of the pain linked to caries at a young age. "They do sometimes have a hard time showing their teeth to the dentist," says Kant.
"Other children have recently received their vaccinations before going to the dentist. Unfortunately we [dentists] are sometimes confused with the doctor who gave them a vaccination." In severe cases of anxiety, parents can visit a special paediatric dentist.
Like adults, children should drink mostly water. "It doesn't make sticky stains or damage the teeth," explains Kant. If children drink juice, then it's best to keep it to when they're eating their main meals, the experts say.
This is also a good rule of thumb too: The main meals they eat in a day can contain sugar, but other snacks should be sugar-free. If the teeth are constantly surrounded by sugar or acid, this is bad for the teeth.
Many children love their bedtime bottle - they suck some warm milk to go to sleep. This is certainly cosy, but it is harmful to their teeth, because "the last sip of the sweet milk sticks to the teeth and can cause tooth decay", warns Kant.
Especially at night, the teeth are particularly at risk anyway, as less protective saliva is produced. However, breastfeeding your baby at night or giving them baby food in a bottle is no danger for well brushed teeth.
Experts recommend that when a child can read and write on their own they are then ready to brush their teeth on their own.
When the little one learns to brush their teeth, it is best if they learn how to in a routine. But make sure they really brush for the recommended two minutes by using a timer or a song that runs while brushing teeth.
Children learn to brush best with a regular toothbrush. While an electric toothbrush can help motivate a child to brush their teeth, it has no advantages for children in terms of tooth cleanliness. - dpa
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
