Baby Tooth Arrival: What’s Normal & What’s Not
When your baby’s first teeth come in, the first thing you probably do is reach for the baby book. After all, this is a momentous occasion!
Have you taken your children to the dentist recently only to be told that they aren’t brushing well enough? How long should they brush and how often? What IS well enough?
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that kids, as well as adults, brush their teeth in a soft, circular motion for two minutes, twice a day, and floss daily.
Most adults can handle a two minute tooth-brushing, but that can seem like a lifetime to a child. There are a couple of websites that are designed specifically to keep your child entertained in two minute increments each time they brush their teeth.
http://2min2x.org/ is sponsored by the Children’s Oral Health campaign, the Ad Council and the Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives. The website has a slew of 2 minute long videos to entertain your child while they brush. It’s also a good source of oral hygiene and dental health information.
http://www.brushdj.com/#nogo is another handy website that has a free toothbrush timer app that plays 2 minute clips of songs from your personal phone or tablet to promote brushing for a full two minutes. The site is interactive, so your kids can go online and vote for their favorite songs, as well as watch fun, informational dental hygiene video clips.
Have your kids give these two sites a try and brushing for 2 minutes should be a breeze.
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