The Importance of Flossing for Children
Contrary to popular belief, flossing isn’t just for adults. From the moment two of your child’s milk teeth start to touch, food can get stuck between their teeth, and flossing needs to become an essential part of their oral hygiene routine, alongside using a bristles toothbrush.
Sounds simple? Well, if your tot is anything like mine, you might think differently. Getting over the first stumbling block of using a baby toothbrush is undoubtedly not for the fainthearted. Adding, flossing to the mix, well I may as well sprout an extra head!
So, let me take you on a journey, so you can see why flossing for children is so important.
Foundation to good oral hygiene
The last thing on any parent’s mind is “what can I add to my child’s routine to make it longer than it already is?” However, adding flossing to your routine, really is a ‘no brainer’ - however, stressful the idea may seem. Giving your child a thorough dental routine will help massively when they get older, so start as early as possible by using our brush baby dental wipes to clean their gums and new milk teeth!
Our mouths are a breeding ground for plaque and bacteria and toothbrushing alone is not enough to remove decay building germs from your little one’s mouth.
Including flossing in their daily toothbrushing routine is an essential step to preventing cavities, bad breath and gum disease. Any plaque that is left behind not only affects the teeth but your child’s gum tissue itself which can lead to much bigger problems down the road.
The game-changer
Just the thought of getting my 4 year old to use actual floss is enough to put me off ever brushing her teeth again! But, I know that would be detrimental to all the progress we have made over the years. Thankfully, that’s where Brush Baby’s FlossBrush bristles toothbrush comes in.
Unlike other kids toothbrushes that simply scrub away at the surface of your teeth, the FlossBrush’s clever design, incorporates short and long bristles to get the job done. The latter cleaning the difficult, in between places that normal brushes cannot reach. It’s genius really, and my little girl loves it!
Perhaps it’s all down to the ‘feel’ of the brush in her hand, as she can easily grip and position the FlossBrush in her mouth. What’s more, I have seen the difference in her willingness to brush her teeth. Before, she would brush her teeth once a day, two at a push. Now, I don’t even have to ask her and before I know it, my little Princess has brushed her teeth after waking up, before school and before bed.
Plus, the FlossBrush has little suckered feet, which add to the whimsical look of the brush. This in itself makes her brush stand out amongst the rest and makes it easier for her to access from the sink area.
It’s pure magic!
FlossBrush - not just for flossing!
We all know that the FlossBrush is fantastic at removing plaque from those hard to reach places. But, it’s also brilliant at removing food debris and more from braces. With around a third of all children in the UK needing braces to straighten teeth and improve their bite, our children need all the help they can get!
The long bristles reach under the brackets, wires and ligature elastics where an ordinary toothbrush cannot even begin to get near.
Available for 3-6 year olds and 6+ years, the FlossBrush is a versatile toothbrushing accessory that can make your child’s toothbrushing regime more bearable.
When should my child start flossing?
As adults, we have all experienced the persistent scraping that dental hygienists need to undertake to remove the plaque build-up from our teeth. If your teeth are anything like mine, getting into the stubborn, tight, hard to reach places is a mission in itself.
My child has inherited my teeth. So, I know how important it is to maintain clean teeth and to fight off any problematic visits to the dentist. Fortunately for her, my experiences are shaping her oral hygiene. As soon as her baby teeth were close enough together for food to get caught in between them, we started flossing by using the FlossBrush bristles toothbrush as well as using some brush baby infant toothpaste!
As a general rule of thumb, most children’s baby teeth are all in place by the time they are between 2 - 3 years old. So, similar to establishing a good toothbrushing routine, it’s important to add flossing to the mix.
Your child’s motor skills and abilities may still be developing, and the FlossBrush takes this into consideration by including bi-level bristles. Short ones to clean the surface of the tooth and longer ones to get in between teeth. .
Remember, you are in this for the long haul. Persistence always pays off!
Need more convincing?
Why not try a FlossBrush today to help give your child the best chance at developing good oral hygiene. It may well be the best gift you can give your little one!