Dentist Recommendations For the Whole Family

By Andrew Stratton
A dentist helps people care for their teeth as well as advises them regarding the proper way to go about it. Since visits to this kind of doctor are quite expensive it makes sense that the whole family should pitch in to encourage good dental health.
Basic dental care starts with brushing. For adults, this is actually no problem since they should be able to value a good and thorough brushing. Children, on the other hand, may be a little resistant to one. The dentist will usually start the experience with instructions to the parent when the first milk teeth come out when the child is around four to six months old. Clean cloth should be wound around the parents' finger and then it should be brushed on the sprouting tooth, at least twice a day.
As the child grows up and develops a complete set of baby enamels, thorough brushing should be encouraged. Proper brushing is to start with one side of the set of teeth with a back and forth motion. The inside and the outside should be brushed and some time should be spent doing so. When the back and forth action is finished for all teeth, the up and down should commence for the entire set as well. The results of not cleaning the teeth properly should be explained to the child by both the dental professional and the parents.
The value of flossing is also another aspect of dental family care. Flossing takes care of the space in between each tooth. The toothbrush cannot reach this area; therefore, floss should be used to take out any debris that may have gotten stuck in between the teeth. It is not only food and debris that may have gotten stuck in this space but plaque can also accumulate here. Flossing should be done by inserting the thread in between each tooth and cleaning each side with a back and forth motion. The floss thread should also go up and down the side as it is swished back and forth. This action not only dislodges debris from eating but also dislodges the plaque which may have accumulated here.
The use of toothpaste is another aspect of oral and dental health. People sometimes use too much of this, thinking that it helps. The dentist should point out that a pea size amount is good enough for adult cleaning and too much toothpaste will only be spit out or swallowed. Swallowing too much can have side effects.