How should you floss your children's teeth? | Dental Treatment Guide


When two of your child’s teeth touch each other, you should start flossing them already. Flossing will help you remove plaque and food particles caught between your teeth and thus, the occurrence of cavities is avoided. Flossing must be an important part of the dental routine of a child.

Floss is available in several sizes, flavours, coatings, and forms. If you are having difficulty using the floss that is wrapped around your fingers then simply purchase floss holders at your local pharmacy.

You should floss after you brush so that you can take advantage of the toothpaste in your mouth. The remaining toothpaste will be spread between your teeth. If you are going to floss without using a floss holder then

  • when you are with a young child, lean the child’s head back into your lap in such a way that you can look into their mouths. With older children, they can stand in front of you, facing away from you, and tilt their head back so that you can floss their teeth
  • you can take around eighteen inches of dental floss and wrap the ends with your fingers until there is around four to five inches left
  • you should use your thumb and your index finger as guides when you floss between your teeth
  • use a saw-like motion when flossing. When you are at the gum line, you should wrap the floss so that it forms a C shape against one of the two teeth. Slide it up and down against the tooth in order to remove plaque and tartar
  • move on to the next tooth and repeat the up and down motion once more

Further Information about Cleaning Childrens Teeth