Our teeth are extremely valuable. They are as valuable as our eyes, our brains and our hearts. Some people think that since we have 32 of them – not to mention the 20 during our childhood – that losing one or a couple is not a big deal. It is a huge deal, in fact. Losing even one tooth is detrimental to the entire oral environment. For that reason, oral hygiene is of the utmost importance, and children’s oral hygiene is a great beginning. Replacing a toothbrush is an important part of that oral hygiene regimen. Here, we attempt to explain how often to replace a toddlers toothbrush.
Why is oral hygiene for children important?
When we are children, we are blessed with a set of 20 baby teeth. Yes, all of them get replaced by the time we’re 12 or 13, but that doesn’t mean they are not important, or that we can take cleaning them lightly. During childhood, the mouth and jaws are in a constant state of change, always growing and changing shape. The baby teeth are small enough to accommodate that. So it is important to keep them as healthy as possible during that transitional period.
Other than that, an untreated problem of the baby teeth could easily find its way to the permanent teeth. So if you think that a cavity in your baby tooth cannot hurt your adult tooth, you would be gravely mistaken.
Finally, we cannot overstate the importance of keeping the baby teeth until their normal time of replacement. The early loss of baby teeth alters the growth process altogether. If your child is unfortunate enough to lose a baby tooth sooner than expected, then head on down to a pediatric dentist immediately to keep that space open until the permanent tooth starts to come out. Failing to do that means your child will probably need braces later on.
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How to take care of children’s teeth?
Oral hygiene for children is very similar to that for adults. You should brush your child’s teeth twice a day – once before bedtime and one throughout the day – and use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste while brushing. The toothpaste should be the child formula, not containing more than 500 to 1000 PPM Fluoride.
The real difference is in the instruments of cleaning. Adults should use a regular sized toothbrush with medium consistency. Children – on the other hand- are advised to use a small toothbrush that fits their mouth, and it should be soft in consistency. Their teeth and gums are fragile, so a soft toothbrush minimizes the damage.
How often to replace a toddlers toothbrush?
Adults should replace their toothbrushes every 2 to 3 months, or when it starts to break and fray. It is the same for children, but since the soft toothbrush gets damaged way sooner than medium ones, it is recommended that you never pass the 2 month mark. Most toothbrush manufacturers help you out with that, by placing a colored mark on some of the bristles of the brush. As soon as you see the color changing, replace the brush immediately
Tags: Child dentist NY, Pediatric dentist, Pediatric dentist Long Island NY, pediatric dentist NY