Brushing Instructions
Caring For Your Children’s Teeth
Successful care of your child’s teeth means developing a healthy lifestyle. It is important to develop proper oral hygiene and sound dietary habits as part of a daily routine. We’ll be counting on you to reinforce these preventative philosophies at home.
Basic Brushing Instructions
- Place the head of the toothbrush alongside the teeth, with the bristle tips angled against the gum line.
- Using a circular motion, make the brush head “draw” small circles over the surface. NOTE: battery powered oscillating tooth brushes produce the ideal brushing motion and we recommend them highly.
- Brush the outer surfaces of each tooth, uppers and lowers, keeping the bristles angled against the gum line.
- Use the same method on all the inside surfaces of the teeth, upper and lower, still using the circular motion.
- For the front teeth, brush the inside surfaces by tilting the brush vertically and making several gentle up-and-down strokes with the “toe” (the front part) of the brush over the teeth and gum tissue.
- Establish the following routine for brushing:
- Start brushing on the cheek side of the back, left top, and proceed all the way around.
- Move to the inside, back, right upper teeth and proceed all the way around.
- Start again, with the outside of the left lower teeth.
- Finish the routine by brushing the inside of the lowers, beginning on the left side. (Be sure the last molar is included.)
- Brush the tops of teeth with a back and forth scrubbing motion.