What about flossing? Do I need to be flossing my kids teeth?

We are often asked by parents if they should also be flossing their kids teeth, and if so how.

Yes, as soon as two of your kids teeth touch you should be flossing them.

By not flossing you are essentially not cleaning around 40% of the tooth surface. And those tiny gaps between kids teeth are the perfect place for bacteria to hide due to food getting stuck.

Flossing doesn’t just keep the teeth healthy but the gums as well, and helps to avoid gum disease.

I struggle to floss my own teeth, how am I meant to floss my kids?

Floss comes in all different sizes and options. Often we find the easiest way to floss kids teeth is using a floss handle. These are small plastic handles with a small amount of floss between the two plastic prongs

These makes it easy to get access to their small mouths without having to try and get our hands right in there

Ultimately trial a few different options and find the one that works best for you.

How do I teach my kids to floss?

Once your kid is a little older its now time to teach them to floss. Here are some tips:

1. Take about 30 cm of dental floss and wrap one end around each of your middle fingers.
2. Using your thumbs and index fingers as guides, gently slide the floss between two teeth using a saw-like motion.
3. Once the floss reaches the gum line, wrap it to form a C shape against one of the teeth. Slide it up and down along that tooth, avoiding snapping the floss between the teeth.
4. Now, wrap the floss against the other tooth and repeat the up-down motion.
5. Remember to be gentle and avoid applying excessive pressure or scraping the floss too hard against your gums.
6. Repeat this process wherever two teeth are touching, ensuring you clean the spaces in between thoroughly.