With the Christmas season fast approaching you may want to consider the gift of an electric toothbrush.
But what do the experts say? Talking to Paddy Fleming, Paediatric Dentist with Our Ladies Hospital for Sick Children, he says electric toothbrushes are just as good as regular ones. You can get the same result. If however the novelty of an electric toothbrush stimulates more brushing, then that’s a plus.
The key factor to brushing is parental supervision. Here are some of the things parents should know.
It is important that children do not swallow toothpaste – small children in particular need to be carefully watched.
Make sure that gums are taken care of, gums should be gently brushed. Again small children need to be watched they can get carried away and can be a bit rough on their gums.
2½ to 3 minutes is about right for brushing as long as the right areas are being covered.
One of our parents has had good results from using an egg timer to check brushing. The novelty factor makes sure that children (and grown-ups) put enough time into the job.
Bernie Owens, Dental Hygienist with Crumlin, says that 70% to 80% of Irish people have gum disease. She points out that the area between gum and tooth needs to be brushed to help prevent gum disease.
Keeping teeth healthy is crucial for children born with a cleft. A fact you may not know is that local dental health clinics will carry out 6-month checks from the appearance of first teeth. This is a measure of how important dental health is for children with cleft. There is no charge by the way for the check up.
So what’s the best gift to give your child’s teeth this Christmas? It’s got to be parental supervision. After that I don’t think the novelty factor of an electric toothbrush will go too far wrong.
Thanks to Paddy Fleming and Bernie Owens for their input.
