Flossing 101
How old should your child be before you encourage
him to floss? Four, perhaps? After the first permanent teeth begin to erupt? As
adolescence begins?
Actually, the American Academy of Pediatric
Dentistry recommends flossing “as soon as there are two adjacent tooth surfaces
that cannot be reached by a toothbrush”—or simply put, when two teeth touch—usually
during toddlerhood.
Plaque, the film formed by bacteria attaching
themselves to the tooth’s smooth surface, knows no lower age limit. At first,
the plaque will be soft enough to be removed by a fingernail or toothbrush, but
it begins to harden within 48 hours and at 10 days becomes tartar, a hard
substance that is difficult to remove at home. Unremoved plaque between teeth
raises the risk of inflamed, swollen gums and gums that pull away from the
teeth (gingivitis). In severe cases, untreated gingivitis can even affect the
jawbone.
At age two, though, your child certainly won’t be
thinking about the lifelong consequences of not flossing. All she needs to know
is that it is something to do once a day, preferably at night, and that Mom or
Dad will help until she is old enough to do it on her own.
Rather than use string floss, you may find it easier
to manipulate a floss pick in your child’s small mouth. However, use whatever
works best for you and your child. Once your child reaches an age when he has
the appropriate manual dexterity, probably by age 10 or 11, he can begin to
floss his teeth himself.
The teen years are a time when flossing becomes
especially important. Teens who don’t eat as well as they should and get too
little sleep will find their resistance to infection lowered—including gum
infection. Girls, whose hormones make them more susceptible to gum sensitivity
and disease anyway, may find that their gums hurt and even bleed in the days
before their period begins. While flossing might be uncomfortable at those
times, its importance doesn’t diminish.
Taking a few days off from flossing, for whatever
reason, only allows the plaque to accumulate and harden, meaning even greater
discomfort when flossing resumes. Starting your child on a schedule of regular
flossing, even as early as toddlerhood and continuing through adolescence and
beyond, can ensure a healthy mouth for a lifetime.
