Tooth brushing is an important aspect of personal hygiene! This post is part of the "Functional Skills for Kids Blog Series" with a look at different forms of personal care. Make sure you check out all the great tips for hand washing, bathing, showering, nose blowing, hair cuts, sleep, screen-free quiet times as well as adolescent hygiene ..... at the end of this article!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dentists worldwide including the America Dental Association and theAustralian Dental Association recommend that children brush their twice a day for two minutes at a time. They also recommend regular visits to the dentist, use of fluoride tooth paste and daily flossing. Both of these sites have great resources to encourage your kids to brush and floss! Occupational therapists help people to become independent in activities of daily living (ADL). We consider aspects of the activity as well as environmental demands to determine why a child might have difficulty achieving independence in a task. For babies and toddlers, we also consider why they may not want to participate in the task! Firstly we may consider the developmental expectations for tooth brushing and some tips to help with these stages.
Babies
Aim: Tolerating oral sensation of something in the mouth and tongue movement. Tips for helping babies:
Toddlers/preschoolers Aim: Tooth brushing and flossing by an adult and beginning to brush parts themselves Tips for Toddlers and Preschoolers:
School Age Children Aim: Independent brushing and flossing teeth. Tips for School Age Children
Children with special needs may have difficulty with specific aspects of brushing their teeth. Here are some further considerations for tooth brushing!
Fine Motor Considerations
Tips to Help with Fine Motor Skills
Gross Motor Considerations
Tips to Help with Gross Motor Skills
Sensory Considerations Touch/Proprioception:
Smell
Vestibular
Auditory
Oral/Taste
Tips to Help With Sensory Processing Skills Your child may benefit from an oral desensitization program as part of a sensory diet. This might involve increasing deep pressure to the jaw, lips, cheeks, tongue and mouth. Bundy, Lane and Murray (2002) recommend providing infants and young children with deep pressure to the roof of the mouth or gums with the therapist's fingers or other soft rounded object (eg. Nuk toothbrush). They also suggest that older children and adults may be taught to provide deep pressure to their own mouths using a variety of oral motor toys (eg. using whistle, biting on knotted rubber tubing, blowing on a rubber strip). The Paediatric Occupational Therapy Department from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (2014) describe a protocol of oral desensitisation. This includes the following progressive steps:
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Attention and Behavior Considerations
Tips to Help with Attention and Behaviour skills
Additional Considerations
Tips to Help with these additional considerations
Do your kids like brushing their teeth? Have you downloaded your FREE tips sheet, checklist and reward chart?
Task Analysis - Independent Bathing in Children | Your Therapy Source
Tips and Tricks for Teaching Hand Washing with Kids | Growing Hands-On Kids I can brush my teeth! Tips for Tooth Brushing and Oral Care! | Your Kids OT Screen Free Quiet Time When Daytime Naps are History | Kids Play Space Tips to Help Kids Learn How to Blow Their Nose | Sugar Aunts Tips to Help Kids Who Hate Haircuts | Mama OT Sensory Friendly Tips for Kids Who Have Trouble Sleeping | The Inspired Treehouse Your Child With Special Needs: How to Conquer Showering Independently | Miss Jaime OT Adolescent Hygiene Challenges | Therapy Fun Zone
Disclosure: The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however,
you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This article does not contain any affiliate links.
References:
25 Comments
28/9/2016 08:10:10 pm
What a wonderful, comprehensive post about tooth brushing! By putting it all together you realize what a multisensory task tooth brushing really is - it is not just about your mouth! Thanks!
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28/9/2016 11:41:20 pm
A brilliant post Cindy! thank you so much! I know so many clients for whom teeth brushing is such a drama!
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30/9/2016 10:00:51 am
Tooth brushing can be a drama in many households! Thank you.
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29/9/2016 11:47:35 am
What an excellent and thorough resource for parents, definitely sharing!
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29/9/2016 03:49:54 pm
Fabulous post, Cindy! Looking forward to reading up on that desensitization protocol you referenced. Your post comes in good timing, as I actually have just been exploring toothbrushes that have their own timers. In my searching, it seemed the musical ones (that play music for 2 minutes while brushing) all had toothbrush heads that were way too big for my preschoolers. I ended up finding ones with smaller heads that blink light for 1 minute at a time (1 minute for the top teeth and then 1 minute for the bottom teeth). It's been working great for them, and I've been recommending self-timed toothbrushes to OT kiddos as well! Thanks again for a great post.
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30/9/2016 10:02:42 am
I haven't seen the brushes that blink for 1 minute at a time! Great idea! My Mr 6 loves the self-timed toothbrushes! A great alternative when they are too young to use an electric toothbrush. Thanks Christie.
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6/10/2016 09:45:17 pm
This is a post that I will refer parents to over and over! I love the reward checklist and the list for how to desensitize a child's mouth. Thanks so much!
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Kathryn
30/6/2017 09:31:44 am
We, Brushie Team, also has the same passion for dental care. Brushies makes healthy habits and confident smiles a game they won’t want to put down. Let’s face it, tooth brushing time is not the most highly anticipated moment in a child’s day. When we ask them to stop what they are doing to brush their teeth, we parents make matters worse we ask them to do it properly and for a whole two minutes. The Brushies team has designed a loophole to this universal parental problem. Instead of asking kids to stop what they are doing to brush, we invite them to engage in a fun and exciting game WHILE they brush! With a long battery life, your child can engage in maximum smileage without pesky interruptions. Check out our Brushie products at www.mybrushies.com and be amazed of what it can actually do to help your kids become excited to brush!
Kathryn
18/5/2017 10:27:16 am
Hello, I would like to share our new innovative product that would surely help both parents and children. Our mission is to improve the dental health of children worldwide, so we’ve invented Brushies. Brushies is an app-based toy which makes brushing your teeth fun. It’s specially designed for children (although there’s nothing stopping grownups playing!) and the aim is to get kids brushing better for longer. We've built a toy called Pearly which motivates kids to brush their teeth and to have fun while doing it. Now we want to take it step further to teach them to brush even better. We need your help for this, and as a reward, we are offering to send you our current Pearly right away, as well as our next generation Pearly when we build her. Please share our Brushies campaign with your friends and family. Let them know there’s a toy which can make brushtime more fun. Check out Brushies at http://www.mybrushies.com/ and be amazed of what it can actually do to help your kids become excited to brush!
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22/6/2020 01:04:24 pm
I absolutely love this article as it talks about how to get children to brush their teeth. I have a 2-year-old who does not enjoy brushing her teeth at all. I love the tips you've shared especially about how we should lead by example and demonstrate that we brush and care for our teeth. I also love the idea of reading books about tooth brushing. I will definitely be looking to buy some children's books about brushing teeth for children.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. SEARCH THIS SITE
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. |
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