Can children floss?

Whenever children have dental caries, swollen gums, bleeding gums and other problems, parents are always anxious. So how to prevent these oral diseases in children? In addition to helping children develop correct brushing habits, the proper use of dental floss is also essential.

(Photo source: Healthy Beijing)

In clinic, parents often ask, why do children still have cavities even though I brush their teeth more than twice a day? Brushing teeth is important, but even if you brush your teeth carefully, you can only clean about 60% of the dental plaque on the tooth surface. Especially in the gaps between teeth, it is difficult to achieve a good cleaning effect by brushing teeth alone. As a result, food residues accumulate for a long time, irritating the gums to cause gum symptoms, or causing bacteria to grow, and eventually causing dental caries.

In addition, due to the influence of factors such as the morphology of deciduous teeth and children's preference for sweets, children are very likely to have food stuck in their teeth during daily meals, especially preschool children. As the gaps between teeth increase with the development of the jaw, the food stuck in teeth phenomenon will gradually worsen. If you do not pay attention to cleaning at this time, it can easily lead to caries of the teeth on both sides of the gaps.

Experts suggest that when two teeth have erupted and are close together, you can start flossing. It is recommended to floss at least once a day. For children, doctors recommend 1. Choose a dental floss stick first; 2. Choose a professional dental floss stick for children; 3. Try a Y-shaped dental floss stick for back teeth.

The dental floss stick is easier to operate. And the operator does not need to put his hand into the baby's mouth, which is more convenient and hygienic.

So how to use a dental floss stick? Parents can hold the handle of the dental floss stick, press it against the gap between the baby's teeth, rub it back and forth parallel to the direction of the gap, and gently press the dental floss into the gap. Be careful to control the strength. Scrape the tooth surface up and down along one side of the tooth surface. Note that there are two tooth surfaces that need to be cleaned in each gap. Try not to miss any. After taking out the dental floss upwards, clean the next gap in the same way. It is recommended to use dental floss after every meal. I hope everyone can have healthy teeth~