Dental Tips

Some tips and techniques I learned from our visit at Kids Dentist last August:

1) Brush side-to-side rather than up-and-down because the latter method tend to cause receding gumline, leading to sensitive teeth.

2) To brush the teeth at the back, get kids to close their jaws and clench their teeth. Then lift up their lips to reach behind.

3) Get them to learn to rinse mouth properly by asking them to move their cheeks.

4) Gingervitis means inflammation of the gums. An obvious symptom is a slight protruding gum band below or above teeth. This is caused by increased blood vessels carrying cells to defend the infected tooth from the bacteria in the plaque. Brushing the area carefully will rid the condition in about 3-4 days.

5) Must get them to brush at least twice a day as it takes 12 hours before bacteria starts attacking the teeth.

6) It is best to brush before breakfast so that the flouride in the toothpaste will protect the teeth.

7) Try not let children consume sweets in between meals. BUT they can enjoy their sweets immediately or within 15mins after their meals because their saliva produced from eating the main meal protects the teeth from the sugar attack.

8) Parents must supervise brushing till P1 to ensure it is properly done.

9) Must make it a habit for meimei to brush even though she resists. e.g. can get a separate toothbrush for her to hold.

10) Colgate toothbrushes are better then Oral B because the latter brand is too soft to remove plaque effectively. (I always thought Oral B is better cos it is more expensive. :p)

11) Electric toothbrushes are not suitable for kids as the side is too thick to reach all the way to the back.

12) Baby teeth will start falling out between 6 to 12 years of age. We should just let them drop naturally.

Now Ying Ying has 20 teeth while meimei has only 19. The dentist felt that the missing front tooth taken out when meimei was about 20mth should not have a strong impact on her speech development. Well, hopefully!!