While it may seem like a good idea to brush your teeth right away after eating, this isn’t necessarily the case!
If you’re looking for a good way to boost your kids’ oral hygiene routines, adding an extra brushing session in after meals is a good idea. However, it’s important to remember that when it comes to brushing, there can be too much of a good thing.
If you decide add brushing into your kids’ routine after meals, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
Brushing too often or too hard can cause damage...
Brushing regularly is vital for good oral health, and most dentists recommend brushing 2 – 3 times a day, for two minutes at a time.
Brushing too much or too hard, however, can defeat the whole purpose of brushing: to have healthy teeth!
Overbrushing can cause a variety of dental health problems, including tooth abrasion, sensitive teeth and receding gums.
...and so can brushing directly after eating.
It may surprise you to learn that you should wait for about an hour after eating before you brush your teeth.
This is because the acids in the foods we eat cause our tooth enamel to soften during meals. Brushing too soon after a meal could cause damage to your enamel because it will be softer than usual.
It’s a good idea to rinse with water first.
Particularly if she has eaten something acidic, it’s a good idea to have your child simply rinse her mouth out with water directly after eating, rather than brushing straight away.
This will rinse away any lingering food debris, and is a good stop gap until the next brushing session.
Consider an electric toothbrush.
Electric toothbrushes have the dual benefits of helping kids brush more thoroughly and preventing overbrushing.
This may seem counter-intuitive, but because electric toothbrushes do the actual brushing, users automatically don’t feel the need to press as hard when using them. You child can just guide the brush over her teeth and let it to all the work.