oral health is related to our chewing, swallowing, pronunciation, digestion and absorption, and directly affects our quality of life. Caring for children’s oral health, and doing a good job of oral hygiene is the basic and critical first step.
1. In the infant stage, before teeth erupt, after eating or before going to bed, parents can use latex finger covers to clean the baby's gums and palate and massage the gums.
2. After the first deciduous tooth erupts, parents use gauze or finger-fitting toothbrush, dip it in clean water to clean the tooth surface to remove food residues and plaque.
3. At about two and a half years old, all the baby teeth of children emerge. Parents should consciously cultivate their children's brushing habits. Until they are six or seven years old, they should provide help and supervision:
1. Brush their teeth in the morning and evening, for at least 2 minutes each time, rinse their mouth after meals and snacks; clean their mouths before going to bed before going to bed, because after falling asleep at night, saliva secretion decreases, poor self-cleaning ability of the mouth, and bacteria are more likely to grow;
2. Choose a suitable toothbrush and replace it every three months. The brush head is small and rotates flexibly in the mouth; the bristles are arranged reasonably, which should not only help remove bacteria, but also make the toothbrush easy to clean; the bristles are soft and hard or soft, with appropriate length; the handle with moderate length and width, which makes it easy to hold and feel comfortable;
3. Use the correct brushing method. When you are beginners, children can use the arc method. After mastering it, they can then learn Pasteur brushing method (horizontal trembling Buddha brushing method ), be sure to ensure that every surface of the teeth is clean. Before the age of six, it is recommended that parents brush their teeth every time, and parents can help check for omissions and fill in the gaps;
4. Use auxiliary cleaning tools for good use, because the toothbrush cannot fully extend and the gaps during brushing. Children's caries often start from here. Parents can help use floss to assist in cleaning food residues and plaque in the gaps of the teeth.
5. Choose toothpaste correctly. Children over three years old choose fluoride toothpaste is a safe and effective anti-carious measure. Generally, children's toothpaste has fluoride content of 0.05%-0.1%, and the dosage is the size of soybeans. In addition, it is recommended to go to the hospital every 3-6 months to apply fluoride to the teeth.
Finally, it is recommended that parents take their children for oral examinations regularly, because oral diseases often occur slowly, and there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage and are not easy to detect. When symptoms such as pain appear, they are more serious. The treatment is complicated, expensive and the effect may not be good. Therefore, we should check at least once a year in oral health, and strive to achieve early prevention, early detection and early treatment.
Source: Wuhan Science and Technology News
Author: Department of Dental Stomatology, Wuhan First Hospital, Yang Ying
