My daughter Ella just turned six and had a dentist appointment the other day. It was no surprise when they told me she needs to work on brushing a bit better. She’s not a huge fan of brushing her teeth and it does take some coaxing.
What did surprise me is the dentist telling me it would be great if I could still brush them for her. I just assumed by the time she could ride her bike she could brush her teeth on her own. Sure my husband and I supervise, but she does the work. I suggested maybe an electric toothbrush to help, but her dentist said unless she’s actually getting to all of the teeth and really focusing, she’s still going to miss a lot.
So when do you stop brushing your child’s teeth? There’s no hard and fast answer to that question. One of the keys is teaching them the proper techniques and length of time to brush. Some say they don’t develop the dexterity to do the job correctly until they are 9 or 10.
Ultimately the choice is yours, but here are some guidelines and suggestions to follow if you’re on the fence. I think the answer for us is letting her brush, then mom or dad doing a follow up brushing to be sure.
