Best toothbrush for a toddler

Dentist Gina Gonzalez, DDS, shares advice for parents on the most important factors to consider when choosing a proper toothbrush for your toddler or young child
How to Choose the Best Toothbrush For Your Toddler
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Best toothbrush for a toddler

Comment
90
Like
90
Transcription: 
Toothbrushes today are fantastic. We have all sorts of shapes and sizes. We have mechanical toothbrushes and we have electric toothbrushes and manual brushing. The way that children have more fun, the more they are to brush their teeth. I like having children use an electric or a mechanical toothbrush. Their size should be the smallest size to cover a tooth, so you want to pick a small electric toothbrush. Some of them have music which is about two minutes, which is the amount of time you should spend brushing the teeth. You can go around each tooth very gently and let the brush do most of the work, and go to each tooth individually counting about ten seconds on each tooth, brushing the outsides, the insides, the tops of their teeth where they tend to chew gather a lot of food particles. And then at the end, have the child stick their tongue out and brush their tongue, which is a fun part to do at the end and gets rid of a lot of bacteria that's on the tongue. If you use a manual brush, you want to go with a small brush that has soft bristles, because those go between the gum and the tooth much easier and they're more effective in plaque removal. And these the child uses first and the parent follows up with a good brushing to make sure that there's thorough plaque removal.

Dentist Gina Gonzalez, DDS, shares advice for parents on the most important factors to consider when choosing a proper toothbrush for your toddler or young child

Related Videos

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Gina Gonzalez, DDS

Dentist

Dr. Gina Gonzalez, DDS has been interested in dental care most of her life. She started working as a dental assistant in high school.  After graduating, she pursued her career by attending the University of Southern California from which she earned a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene in 1982.  She was involved in creating new standards for dental hygiene in Spain where she also developed a dental hygiene school.

Dr. Gina Gonzalez earned her doctorate of dental surgery from the USC School of Dentistry in 1991.  As a lifelong learner, Dr. Gonzalez continues to study preventive and esthetic dentistry at renowned educational institutions all over the United States.  Her certifications include CEREC technology and Invisalign.  In addition to providing superb dental services to patients in her office, she dedicates her knowledge and skill to many philanthropic projects in the community and worldwide.  Annually, she is involved in a dental mission to Guatemala in which she provides dental care to people who would go without it otherwise.  She also regularly serves the elderly in Southern California through the Oral Eldercare Program. Dr. Gina Gonzalez is part of the USC School of Dentistry Board of Directors and is a member of the American Dental Association and the California Dental Association.   

In her leisure time, she enjoys Salsa dancing, participating in the art of Krav Maga and entertaining her two wonderful daughters.

More Parenting Videos from Gina Gonzalez, DDS >
  Listen or Watch
Must See First Year Videos
Three important rules about your baby's first foods
First year milestones
Postnatal depression and loneliness advice
Baby losing interest in nursing
The importance of spending quality time during early childhood
Narrating an infant's environment
Research based benefits of co-sleeping
Bonding versus attachment
Bonding with your baby after a less-than-perfect birth
Preventing postpartum depression
Play All 34 Videos
Featured Experts: Alan Greene, MD, Lawrence Kagan, MD, Barbara Olinger, MSW
More Playlists >
Transcription: 
Toothbrushes today are fantastic. We have all sorts of shapes and sizes. We have mechanical toothbrushes and we have electric toothbrushes and manual brushing. The way that children have more fun, the more they are to brush their teeth. I like having children use an electric or a mechanical toothbrush. Their size should be the smallest size to cover a tooth, so you want to pick a small electric toothbrush. Some of them have music which is about two minutes, which is the amount of time you should spend brushing the teeth. You can go around each tooth very gently and let the brush do most of the work, and go to each tooth individually counting about ten seconds on each tooth, brushing the outsides, the insides, the tops of their teeth where they tend to chew gather a lot of food particles. And then at the end, have the child stick their tongue out and brush their tongue, which is a fun part to do at the end and gets rid of a lot of bacteria that's on the tongue. If you use a manual brush, you want to go with a small brush that has soft bristles, because those go between the gum and the tooth much easier and they're more effective in plaque removal. And these the child uses first and the parent follows up with a good brushing to make sure that there's thorough plaque removal.