As Pediatric Dentists, we hear all the time during exams – “My child does not want me to brush his/her teeth.” A lot of parents allow their children to brush their own teeth because they want them to be independent. But a poor job of brushing will result in cavities. So, we encourage parents to allow the child to brush first but then brush after.
There is no exact age you should start allowing them to brush on their own. Instead, manual dexterity should be the determining factor. Like many skills, it takes years to learn proper brushing and be good at it.
Still too ambiguous? I know, so we have come up with a good determining factor for you to be the judge yourself.
When your child starts to have good handwriting, this is usually indicative that they have enough manual dexterity to brush well.
Still supervise them and reinforce them whenever necessary.
As always, follow us (@socopdo) on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube for more tricks and tips.
