How to help your kids develop healthy dental habits

This story first appeared in Healthy You - July 2024, The Gazette’s quarterly health publication.

Setting your kids on a path to good oral hygiene habits starts sooner than you think, even before their first tooth comes in.

And while brushing and flossing are important, a lot of what Dr. Amy Lesch talks to her families about is their child’s diet.

“Oral hygiene is one component, but diet is just as important for preventing cavities,” said Lesch, a board-certified pediatric dentist and a clinical assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. “Decreasing the number of times that their teeth are exposed to fermentable carbohydrates or anything that can be broken down into sugars on your teeth.”

These include popular items like Goldfish crackers, fruit snacks that stick to teeth and sweet things like fruit juices. If your child does have these snacks, drinking water afterwards can help clear those sugars from their mouth.

Giving kids choices can also help them get excited about oral care. As long as a toothpaste has fluoride, let them choose the flavor. They can also pick out their toothbrushes and floss picks based on their favorite characters or animals.

Start early

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends gently cleaning and massaging your infant’s gums after each feeding with a damp wash cloth. This will keep their gums healthy and get them used to you working in their mouth. Never let your child go to sleep with a bottle filled with anything but water — no formula, juices or even breast milk, which has natural sugars. Our mouths get very dry when we sleep, and if there is anything sitting on the teeth, bacteria consumes it and creates acid, and that acid can cause a cavity to form.

“Ideally, the last thing that should be in the child’s mouth before they go to sleep is a toothbrush,” Lesch said.

Once they emerge, brush baby teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush with just a dab (the size of a grain of rice) of toothpaste containing fluoride. As your child grows and becomes more dexterous, let them practice brushing but always follow up after to ensure every spot was brushed.

“Until they have the manual dexterity to do a good job of tying their own shoes, that’s a good landmark of when they can start brushing on their own,” said Lesch, which is usually around age 8. They should still be supervised by an adult but don’t necessarily need you to do a follow-up brushing.

  Buy Photo

After age 3, kids can use a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste.

Teach good techniques

Learning proper brushing techniques from the start will set your child up for a lifetime of good oral hygiene. To start, eliminate any distractions such as television or other siblings so that your child can focus on their brushing technique.

Brush at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste for two minutes each time. To make sure you cover every area, set a timer and switch to a new section every 30 seconds. You should also brush your tongue and the roof of your mouth where bacteria collect.

Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle aimed at where the gums meet the teeth and use back-and-forth, up-and-down, and gentle circular motions with the bristles. This will eliminate food particles that tend to collect in this area and keep your gums healthy. Rinse your mouth and the toothbrush.

Make sure to replace your toothbrush every few months, or sooner if the bristles become splayed.

Flossing should be started as soon as teeth start contacting each other, usually around age 2 to 3. Kid-friendly flossing picks are easier to hold, and letting kids pick which ones to buy can encourage them to floss more often.

Visit the dentist regularly

While even adults can be nervous about visiting the dentist, try not to convey this anxiety to your kids. Instead, use positive language and make it into a fun trip. Dental visits can start as soon as a child has teeth; talk to your dental office or a pediatric dental office about when they want to start seeing your child. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends seeing a dentist by their first birthday.

Regular dental visits will check for cavities, watch for developmental problems, and can offer additional treatments such as sealants and fluoride applications that can prevent cavities and strengthen the enamel against decay.

Benefits of pediatric dentists

If your child finds a general dentist office too scary, many pediatric clinics are available in Eastern Iowa. Their offices are kid-friendly and their staff specially trained to work with kids.

Lesch, herself a board-certified pediatric dentist, says it is a specialty requiring an additional two to three years of residency, with a focus on children and those with special health care needs. The additional training includes learning about sedation and general anesthesia and working with behavior management.

“Everyone in a pediatric office is very much used to working with kids — the hygienists, the assistants — and how to do things like get good X-rays on children,” Lesch said.

For Cedar Rapids mom Meagan Prestegard, taking her daughter to the dentist used to be an anxiety-filled ordeal. Not only was her daughter scared and uncooperative, Prestegard herself was stressed about bothering other adults at the office.

They were referred to a pediatric practice in Cedar Rapids, where they noticed a more kid-friendly atmosphere, with toys, cartoons and bright colors. For convenience, she now brings all three of her children to that office.

“It made them feel more at ease. I think the staff is used to working with kids who might be more nervous. They’re more patient, and they have a lot of tricks that gain cooperation,” Prestegard said.

The staff build in more time so they can be patient, and don’t use language that might be scary to a child. For instance, “sleepy water” is used instead of shots for local anesthetic.

“Once they had one good experience, then the next time was easier,” Prestegard said.