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Home › Articles › Parenting Preschoolers › Tooth Brushing

Tooth Brushing

No Job for a Kid!

By Wes Andrues

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The commitment is long term, often lasting roughly until the child is able to tie his own shoes. Unlike other milestones of independence, like potty training or walking, there is no "graduation" where they perform the act once to enthusiastic applause. Tooth brushing can only be called a labor of love that lasts for as long as it takes.

Dr. Steven Lasser, a pediatric dentist, board-certified by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry with over 25 years experience on children's teeth, knows all too well the importance of proper dental hygiene and sees two functions associated with the toothbrush. "Brushing physically removes the plaque and delivers flouride," he says. "The fluoride is very important for the topical effect that it has on the newly erupted baby teeth."

Dr. Lasser is quick to offer, however, that the key to fluoride is moderation. While he endorses those toothpastes that target children, he cautions that too much of a good thing can be bad. "Fluorosis" results from too much fluoride and can give healthy teeth a splotchy white appearance. Therefore, pediatric dentists usually advocate a "pea size" amount of toothpaste on the brush. Avoiding fluorosis also requires a certain degree of rinsing and spitting, because the more toothpaste a young child swallows contributes to the potential for damage. After age 7 or 8, however, swallowing toothpaste doesn't carry the same negative effects.

Getting Them to Brush
Of course, fluoride is only half of the hygiene equation. The physical act of brushing is the more difficult half, as parents find their brushing efforts are usually met with resistance. To counter this, resourceful parents often resort to games, songs or an appeal to the very sense of independence that makes children fight brushing in the first place. In other words, they give the child a certain degree of control, such as letting them pick out a special character toothbrush.

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