Leave It to the Kids!

Maybe you are familiar with what happens to some unsupervised children and food:  it becomes a war!  Amazingly enough, it is easy to let kids decide how clean their teeth will be.  It just seems easier to let them brush their own teeth, especially those strong-willed-independent-types.  Besides keeping the kids from hosing $5 in toothpaste into the sink to make it look  like in the commercials, kids need supervision to help them brush correctly until they are about 8 years old.  Each parent will need to make the decision as to when they think their child is ready to brush solo.  Preventing cavities is vital both to prevent spending a lot of money on baby tooth fillings, and to prevent the fear that some children may develop if they have to have cavities filled at a young age.  Talk to your dentist about when your child is ready to brush their own teeth, and how they are doing brushing their own teeth.  Two other posts that may be helpful are:  No Bottles for Bed and Remember!.