Brush up on healthy teeth : simple steps for kid's smiles

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
• Description:
  1. Start cleaning teeth early.
  
  • As soon as the first tooth appears, begin cleaning by wiping with a clean, damp cloth every day.
  
  • When more teeth come in, switch to a small, soft toothbrush.
  
  • Begin using toothpaste with fluoride when your child is 2 years old.
  
  • Use toothpaste with fluoride before age 2 if your child’s doctor or dentist recommends it.
  
  2. Use the right amount of fluoride toothpaste.
  
  • Use only a small amount of toothpaste (about the size of a pea). Fluoride is important for fighting cavities. But if children younger than 6 years old swallow too much fluoride, their permanent teeth may have white spots.
  
  • Teach your child to spit out the toothpaste and to rinse well after brushing.
  
  3. Supervise brushing.
  
  • Brush your child’s teeth twice a day until your child has the skill to handle the toothbrush alone.
  
  • Continue to closely watch brushing to make sure the child is doing a good job and using only a small amount of toothpaste.
  
  4. Talk to your child’s doctor or dentist.
  
  • Ask the doctor or dentist about your child’s specific fluoride needs. Children older than 6 months may need extra fluoride if the drinking water does not have enough. Children younger than 6 years old should not use a fluoride mouth rinse unless recommended by a doctor or dentist.
  
  • After age 2, most children get the right amount of fluoride to help prevent cavities if they drink water that contains fluoride and brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
  
  Early care for your children’s teeth will protect their smile and their health.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Fluorides Oral Hygiene Toothbrushing
• Document Type:
  Poster
• Genre:
  Popular Works
• Pages in Document:
  1 poster
• Collection(s):
  Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:8d812e33dd89f8fb361e115094a5f718ee7fcaa32fdecc5ee020737b2ee741af
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/29565/cdc_29565_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 259.06 KB ]