How to Brush Better

Every night your children’s bedtime routine may begin with getting dressed for bed, brushing their teeth and ends with a story before the lights go out. Sometimes it is hard to get that necessary tooth brushing in. Making a few minor changes in your routine can help ensure regular and quality tooth brushing every day.

Brush at least twice per day. Wait to brush your teeth after you have completed your breakfast meal. Brushing before breakfast can make your orange juice taste funny. Waiting also allows you to get that food that gets stuck in your teeth off for the day and freshen your breath. The second time you brush your teeth for the day should occur in the evening, after the last snack or meal is finished. Then, don’t eat afterwards. Doing this will ensure that the teeth are cleaned before kids get too sleepy to brush at bedtime. It will also help deter late evening snacks as they must brush their teeth again afterwards. Stick to drinking water if your child is thirsty after they have brushed their teeth for the evening.

Use an electric toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes have been scientifically shown to do a better job at getting the plaque off your teeth effectively versus using a manual toothbrush. The rotary head spins as you sweep the electric toothbrush across your teeth, getting more brush strokes in per tooth then when you manually brush your teeth. Some of them also come with fun apps to help your kids gets get a full two minutes of brushing in like Crest Oral-B’s electric toothbrush. Other features include flashing lights if you are brushing too hard. The apps can also be helpful to parents too by allowing parents to monitor how often and how long their children are brushing their teeth.

Use a disclosing agent. A disclosing agent allows you to stain the plaque on your teeth a bright color so that you can visually see where you need to brush. There are many types and they come in many forms. One is a tablet type that you chew up and spit out. It turns your plaque a bright purple color so you can easily brush it away. Another is a toothpaste called Plaque HD, that gives the plaque a green color when you brush it on. It also allows you to easily see the areas that you are missing and then you keep brushing with the same toothpaste on your brush without having to add more, to get the remaining plaque off.