Tips To Good Oral Health For Kids — A Colgate Review
At the recent launch of Colgate SAN toothpaste, a revolution and only family anti-cavity toothpaste that claims to the directly fight sugar acids in plaque, Children’s Dentistry Specialist from The Oral Care Centre, Dr Ng Jing Jing shares some valuable tips to help our children acquire good oral health.
- Restrict meal times to 15 minutes. It is easier said than done as some kids are very slow eaters. Dr. Ng explains that the longer rice stays in your mouth, the more time they have to encourage bacteria build-up in your mouth. So make it a good habit to finish his/her meal in 30minutes or less.
- Discourage sharing of utensils, bottles or drinks.
- Be aware that some milk formula for older children contains a higher sugar content.
- Supervise the children’s teeth brushing techniques until they are at least 7 or 8 years old.
- Teach them to be systematic when they are brushing their teeth.
- Brush along the gum lines where initial tooth decay begins and angle your bristles at 45-degree angle.
- MUST brush teeth TWICE a day, especially BEFORE bedtime.
- Watch out for white spots on teeth
- Clean baby’s teeth even if he does not have teeth yet.
- Help the younger child to brush especially on their weaker side. Most right-handers find it more challenging to brush the left-side and vice versa.
- Do not nurse the baby to sleep or let the toddlers fall asleep with a milk bottle.
- Do not rush the tooth brushing.
- Do not use the first toothpaste.
I found this video of my kids’ pediatric dentist, Dr. Nancy briefing them on how to brush their teeth when they were four and six years old respectively. I thought it was very useful to refresh their memory whenever they slack on their brushing technique.
Also, it provided me with a good platform to give them correct instructions on how to brush their teeth. I am sharing it here. I hope you will find it useful too.
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