How to Tell if Your Child is Cutting Brush Time Short

Tooth-brushing is one of the first responsibilities you give to your child allowing them to assert his or her independence. When your little ones are young, it’s easy to monitor their dental care habits and know that they are brushing regularly and long enough. But as they get older, close observation becomes trickier and you have to simply trust them. If you can’t monitor their brushing and flossing habits daily, here are some ways to know if they are keeping up their oral hygiene or not.

• Done brushing quickly. Even children with baby teeth need to brush for at least two minutes. If you notice your child doesn’t spend much time brushing, help him or her understand the importance of brushing every portion of their mouth carefully. Use music to inspire them to brush for the full two minutes.
• A dry toothbrush. If you notice that your child’s toothbrush is dry after they get ready for the day or at bedtime, it’s a sure sign he or she hasn’t brushed.
• Food particles are still lurking in your child’s smile. If your child emerges from the bathroom proudly proclaiming the completion of a thorough tooth brushing—ask for a smile. If particles of food remain, send your child back to the bathroom for a brushing do-over.
• Perform the Squeak Test. Ask your child to wet their finger and rub it quickly across their teeth. If a squeaking sound resonates, your child has “squeaky clean” teeth and has carefully brushed their teeth.
• A white tongue. After the Squeek Test, ask your kiddo to stick out their tongue. Clean tongues are pink, if it’s white, bacteria are still remaining. Make sure your child knows to brush their tongue as well as their teeth for complete dental care.
• Bad breath. Bad breath at a young age, is often the result of bacteria buildup caused by food particles that may still be hanging around. Do a breath check and send your little one in for a brushing if it’s anything less than pleasant.
• Check for dental floss. Flossing daily is as important as twice-daily brushing. You can monitor the bathroom trash for floss strings. If there aren’t any or you only see them sometimes, you’ll know that flossing isn’t an established habit for them yet. Another big clue to the lack of flossing is bad breath; even if you brush your teeth, not flossing leaves a lot of food and bacteria behind which causes smelly breath. Flossing together is a great strategy; they are still doing it themselves, but you’re there to monitor and encourage this important habit.
• Cavities. If Dr. Dunne finds cavities during your kiddo’s routine dental exam, it’s a sure sign that they have not been taking care of their oral health. (And possibly consuming too many sticky, sugary foods and drinks) If this is the case, we will be happy to offer additional tips and encouragement to help keep your kids excited about brushing and flossing.

As always, be sure to schedule your child’s dental checkup every six months!