At What Age Should a Child Be Proficient at Brushing and Flossing?

Nothing can light up a parent’s heart, like when their child develops as they should. As they begin to exhibit signs of autonomy and desire to dress up on their own or even brush their teeth, it’s a moment of pride and joy for almost any parent.

It’s essential that you teach your kid how to care for their teeth since this is a lifelong habit. Besides brushing, flossing also requires more skills to learn as soon as possible. We can never forget the bi-annual visits to our kids’ dentistry in Frisco. It is vital that our dentist in Frisco checks their teeth at least twice each year to monitor your kid’s progress.

But, the challenging part is to train your little ones to brush and floss their teeth properly. It is quite a complicated task for those little hands to master at a go, so you might have to do a bit more to ensure that they do it well.

So, What’s the Best Age for Your Kids to Start Brushing and Flossing?

Many parents are always pondering when they should leave their kids to brush and floss their teeth. First, you need to brush your kid’s teeth as soon as their teeth come in. When you begin cleaning their teeth at this stage, they will get used to the routine.

You might need to use a clean washcloth for infants to wipe their gums after every meal. Once their teeth erupt, our dentist on Lebanon Road will let you know the appropriate time for you to switch to a kid’s size toothbrush.

Another critical issue is flossing. Flossing your kid’s teeth cannot start right after their teeth erupt. You will have to wait until their teeth are touching one another. They could be around two or three years when this happens. But if you maintain your dental visits, our dentist in Frisco can advise you when the time is right to floss your kid’s teeth based on their progress.

At What Age Can Your Kid Brush and Floss on Their Own?

As soon as your kid can hold their toothbrush, it would help if you gave them the liberty to brush their teeth. But you just know that they will not do a thorough job. So, you can give them the chance to start, but ensure that you finish it off. If your kid doesn’t fancy brushing their teeth, you might have to be a bit more creative and find fun ways to entice them.

Remember that they are new to brushing their teeth, so they have no clue how to do it and when to do it. But they can be able to brush their teeth when they reach seven. You will still need to supervise them, though, until they turn 10 or 11 years old.

As mentioned earlier, flossing is a bit more complex; this means that your child will need more time to master it. You will have to floss your kid’s teeth until they are 10 or 11 years when they can start flossing on their own but under your supervision.

How Can I Make Flossing Easier?

Kids should floss just like adults to ensure that their teeth are bacteria-free. But you can get a bit lost wondering how you can adequately floss your kid’s teeth. Here are some tricks:

• Introduce Your Kid to Flossing as Early as You Can

If you begin flossing your kid’s teeth early, they can pick up the technique much faster. You can start teaching them how to do it once they are old enough to hold onto the floss. They will quickly pick up this habit because they will realize that it’s part of their daily routine.

• Choose the Right Tools

Use age-appropriate tools to help your child have a much easier time. You cannot expect your five-year-old to use regular dental floss since they lack the manual dexterity to use it.

• Allow Your Child to Choose the Floss

When you go to your local store to buy floss, let them choose the one they like. This allows them to feel independent and take responsibility for their oral health.

• Try a Reward System

Once your kid flosses, mark off a chart, and after a set target, give them a small reward to motivate them.

How Should Your Child Floss?

Here’s how your child should floss:

• Cut off a piece of floss approximately 20 inches long
• Lightly wrap each side of the floss many times around the middle fingers
• Carefully move the floss between the teeth using your index fingers in an up and down motion and go below the gum line. Don’t floss using the side to side motion
• Ensure that you bend the floss to form a C on the side of the teeth

Brushing and flossing will ensure that your kid’s teeth are healthy and strong. Contact us at Millennium Smiles on Legacy if you want to know more about flossing and brushing your kid’s teeth.