To give your child a clean, healthy smile, you may be interested in learning about tips for dental plaque removal at home.
Good teeth and mouth cleaning habits begin at home, so it's important to learn what plaque is, why it's dangerous, and ways to prevent and treat it at home.
What Is Plaque?
Plaque is a sticky substance formed on the outside of teeth. It is a mixture of bacteria and food particles. When kids eat sugary foods and beverages, the sugar is broken down by bacteria and turned into acids.
Tartar is a hard substance that can form from plaque. The acids eat away at the hard, outer part of the teeth, causing holes called cavities.
Why Does Plaque Need to Be Removed?
If left untreated, plaque and tartar can cause all sorts of dental problems. In addition to cavities, they can lead to gingivitis, which is a gum disease caused by bacterial infection that makes the mouth red, swollen, and sore.
Here are some more tips to help remove plaque at home:
Use a toothbrush intended for little mouths and hands
Change out the toothbrush each season or after illnesses
Use a pea-sized amount of kid-friendly toothpaste
Brush each tooth front and back, at a 45-degree angle using short, circular strokes (and don't forget the tongue, roof and sides of the mouth)
Set a timer or play a song for two minutes to make sure your child thoroughly brushes each tooth
Floss in between each tooth using a gentle, back and forth motion
Limit the amount of sugary snacks and drinks
In addition to these at-home tips, kids should visit the dentist every six months. During that visit, a routine cleaning will make sure the plaque is professionally removed.
Call Kool Smiles to Schedule a Dental Cleaning Today
Kool Smiles is a network of dentists who provide high quality dental care to kids. We can teach your children dental plaque removal techniques to use at home, so they can keep healthy smiles year-round.
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