Just about everyone knows that flossing is something that’ll have a hugely positive impact on their oral health. But few people do it on a regular basis. For one reason or another, it’s just hard to get people to floss consistently.
This is a challenge that faces almost every dentist in the country, especially pediatric dentists. But how can it be overcome? Well, by educating patients and their children on the importance of their oral health and how flossing helps that.
Why bother?
Our team recommends that you floss regularly not because we personally thinks it helps. The American Dental Association and dentists across the world know that flossing is key to good oral health. Without it, you or your child stand the risk of developing cavities and other serious problems.
What does it do?
Flossing, when done correctly, has the ability to clean your teeth in ways few other activities do. When you brush your teeth, you’re only cleaning about two-thirds of your tooth. Flossing gets the rest of the spots that your brush can’t reach. This means you end up with better overall oral health, and a lower risk of cavities, gum disease, and other potential health problems.
We understand that flossing isn’t always the most glamorous activity, and it can be uncomfortable to start if you haven’t flossed in a while. However, we wouldn’t recommend it unless our team had seen firsthand the proven positive effects that come as a result of regular flossing.
Children tend to establish this habit around the age of 10, so you need to help your child with developing this habit beforehand. Here are some ways you can help your child floss at an early age:
– Use flexible, soft floss that will be comfortable and won’t hurt their teeth.
– Take about 15-20 inches of floss and loosely wrap it around each middle finger with about one to two inches between.
– Slide it gently between each tooth using your index and forefinger (Don’t snap it down onto the gums).
– Make a “C” shape with floss and move it gently up and down the sides. As you move to each tooth, unroll to a new section.
Another idea that can help your child floss is using a water flosser or a prethreaded flosser. And it helps kids to reach the goal of flossing once a day when they know they will be rewarded. You can set a calendar for both brushing and flossing and reward them at the end of the week or month with small prizes.
If you have other questions about how you can help take better care of your child’s dental care, please give us a call today!