Brushing your teeth twice a day removes food bits and germs that can cause cavities and make your teeth hurt. Healthy teeth help you eat, talk, and smile.
Practice brushing technique with a toothbrush: small circles on every surface of every tooth, front, back, and top, for about two minutes. Use a timer or a song. Show pictures of healthy versus unhealthy teeth to explain why brushing matters.
Children often think baby teeth do not matter because they fall out anyway. In fact, taking care of baby teeth keeps the mouth healthy for the permanent teeth coming in underneath. Some children think brushing harder is better, when gentle circles work best.
Your teeth are strong, but they need your help to stay that way. Every time you eat, tiny bits of food stick to your teeth. Germs in your mouth love those food bits — they eat them and produce acid as a byproduct. That acid is the problem: it slowly eats away at the hard outer coating of your teeth. Over time, this creates small holes called cavities. Cavities can really hurt, and a dentist has to fix them.
Brushing your teeth clears away the food bits and germs before they can cause trouble. Use a soft toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. Brush in small, gentle circles — not back and forth like a saw. Make sure you brush every surface: the front, the back, and the chewing top of each tooth. Your back teeth are easy to forget, but they need brushing too. Spend about two minutes each time, which is longer than most people think. A timer or a two-minute song can help.
Even though your baby teeth will eventually fall out and be replaced by permanent teeth, taking care of them still matters. Baby teeth hold the space for the permanent teeth growing underneath your gums. If a baby tooth gets a bad cavity and has to be pulled out early, the permanent tooth might not have the right space to come in straight. Plus, cavities hurt no matter what kind of tooth they are in. Brushing twice a day — once in the morning and once before bed — is one of the easiest habits you can build, and your teeth will thank you for it.