Children & Families
Brushing someone else’s teeth is a physical skill, and it is learnable
Most of the difficulty parents have with a small child comes down to position and visibility rather than…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
First teeth to teenage years, and the habits that decide the next fifty.
10 articles
Children & Families
The first tooth arrives long before most families think of a dentist
Guidance in several countries puts the first dental visit around the first birthday, and what happens at that appointment is not what parents expect.
By Dr. Shruti Goel · · 3 min read
Children & Families
How much toothpaste a child needs, and why the advice varies
Quantity and concentration are the two things to get right for young children, and the recommendations…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
A child’s tooth is not simply a smaller version of an adult one
Baby teeth have thinner enamel and a proportionally larger nerve chamber, which is why problems in them…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
The age a child can brush alone is later than the age they want to
Independence in brushing depends on fine motor control that develops gradually, and handing it over early…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
Cleaning around fixed braces takes longer, and it is not optional
Brackets and wires create dozens of new sheltered surfaces, and the damage from neglecting them is often…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
Retainers, aligners and mouthguards need cleaning too
Anything worn in the mouth accumulates a film of its own, and the cleaning methods that seem obvious are…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
What changes in a teenager’s mouth, and why risk rises at thirteen
The adolescent years combine new independence, a changed diet and a set of newly erupted teeth, which is…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
Helping a nervous child through a dental appointment
Most childhood dental fear is learned rather than innate, and a good deal of what makes a visit go badly…
· 3 min read
Children & Families
When a child cannot tolerate having their teeth brushed
Sensory sensitivity, additional needs and entrenched resistance all make daily cleaning genuinely…
· 3 min read