Brushing should be done twice daily, everyday. Nighttime brushing is more essential than brushing in the morning, although both are extremely important. We recommend supervising children's oral hygiene until they are about eight years old or until they are able to write in cursive. Around this time, they acquire the dexterity to do a very thorough job brushing. With that said, each child is different so they may be ready for different habits at varying ages. As children gain independence, they may want to brush on their own. In this case, we recommend the child brushes by themselves in the morning and has a parent assist at bedtime. If a child is going to brush on their own and until they learn how to spit properly, they should use a training (non-fluoridated) toothpaste. This will eliminate the chance of them ingesting any of the fluoride. At night with a parent's supervision, children should be using a wisp of fluoridated toothpaste, an amount even smaller than a green pea. Again, if the child can not spit suitably then the remaining toothpaste should be wiped out with a wet washcloth, napkin, towel, etc. to ensure there is minimal fluoride ingested into the body. In addition to brushing the teeth, children should be gently brushing their gums as well to remove plaque sitting along the gum line. For our younger patients who have little to no teeth, we still recommend either wiping off the gums with a towel or washcloth or gently brushing the teeth with an infant toothbrush. We like to start out even our youngest patients on the right foot.   

 Flossing should be done at least once a day, preferably at nighttime. We recommend getting children use to flossing even before it is absolutely necessary to do so. This means letting children play with the floss/floss holders and 'pretend' to floss. That way when flossing is a must, they will be use to doing it. There is not really a specific age children should start flossing. Whenever the gaps begin to close and you can no longer see daylight through in between the teeth, then flossing should de done. The most common areas children get cavities are in between the teeth, due to not flossing, among other things. The small floss holders are very easy and convenient for both parents and children to use. This should, again, be done daily to ensure optimal dental health.