Did you know that August 22nd is National Tooth Fairy Day? As a dental hygienist, let’s celebrate this special day by talking about children’s oral hygiene and what happens when they lose a tooth.
Children ages 3 and under need their parents to keep their teeth clean with a non fluoridated toothpaste. Start flossing their teeth as this will get them used to flossing even though they may have bigger spaces. Then from ages 3 to 6, children should be supervised when they’re brushing and flossing. This is the age range when children begin to use toothpaste with fluoride in a pea size amount.
TIP:
Make sure to brush all surfaces including the front, back of the front teeth and the back molars. It’s much harder to reach the cheek molars so get them to say “E” and this will get them to close their jaw a little and lips further apart to brush.
In order to keep the baby teeth and eventually adult teeth healthy, children need to continue brushing, flossing, and go for regular dental hygiene visits. It’s also a great time to teach them the effects candy, pop and sugary juices have on teeth. As a parent, you can remind the child just how much the Tooth Fairy wants to see them have a healthy smile after their baby teeth have fallen out.
What To Tell Kids
When your teeth get wiggly it means the Tooth Fairy will be flying to your bedroom soon!
Losing a baby tooth is quite an exciting time because it means the Tooth Fairy will pay a visit! So make sure you sleep early so the tooth fairy will come. (Sometimes as parents we forget to collect the tooth, so the excuse I tell them is because they slept too late! 😂)
The Tooth Fairy collects fallen baby teeth at night while you are sleeping, usually from underneath a pillow. If you don’t put it under your pillow, that’s okay! The Tooth Fairy can see fallen out baby teeth no matter where you put it. So if you have a special box it will be found!
The Tooth Fairy knows it’s hard work for children to take care of teeth and grow in their adult ones. In return for taking care of a baby tooth and giving it to the Tooth Fairy, you will find a small amount of money or a gift to say thank you. (I started $1 for the first tooth, $2 for the 2nd, etc.)
Finally, The Tooth Fairy likes to see children taking care of their adult teeth. Here are some ways you can keep your new teeth healthy:
Brush your teeth twice a day and be sure to floss!
Don’t eat too much sugar, pop, and juice.
Eat healthy and make sure you’re getting lots of fruits and vegetables.
Make sure you keep visiting your dentist and dental hygienist so they can check out your smile.
Now go show your pearly whites!
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