Tooth Brush and Spit – DON’T Rinse

Since 1999, when John Featherstone PhD published his new data on the mechanisms of Fluoride in oral fluoride mouth rinse after brushing for the express purpose of leaving fluoride on their teeth.  The same concept can be accomplished by merely leaving the residual toothpaste on your teeth.

health, I and many prevention oriented colleagues have promoted the concept that one should not rinse after brushing one’s teeth.  Just spit the excess foam out and leave the residual toothpaste on your teeth.  After all, don’t we tell you the same after your dental appointment where we give you a fluoride application and tell you not to eat or rinse for 30 minutes?  Many folks will use a

If you like to rinse with a mouthwash for other than a fluoride based reason, then I would recommend waiting at least 30 minutes after brushing if you are going to use a non-fluoride mouth rinse.

Flossing your Teeth is Critical...for kids and parents!

Cavities between the teeth are slow, insidious and begin showing up between age 3 and 5 years old. They account for 90% of cavities that I see; the majority of them happening between 5 and 9 years old. I cannot apply preventive sealants between teeth. Tooth brushing will not clean between the teeth.  Flossing will, however, and will help protect those areas. Since brushing will not help prevent these cavities, lets make flossing easy and bring it up high in the parent priority list, higher than brushing.


Floss anywhere. At evening story time on the couch, they can lay with head on your lap, looking up with mouth open wide. It is easy to see in that mouth and the head is supported, making the job quick, easy and comfortable for the younger kids. It is part of snuggle time.

When my kids were 6 years old they were OK though not yet great brushers. Since flossing was the real important issue, I chose to let them brush and bring me a piece of floss afterward. They handed me the floss, turned their back to me and tipped their head way back against my stomach. Mouth is wide open, easy to see, took 10 – 15 seconds of my time, and if their brushing job was really poor I saw it and sent them back. They soon improved their brushing to avoid being sent back. By about 10 they were doing their own flossing.

Set up their flossers. Many kids want to floss themselves and can’t get the floss wound on the flossing handle tightly enough. So the flossing goes undone or severely lacking. How about winding up 7 days worth for them to have in their bathroom? Ask us for more handles if you want them. They are inexpensive and we would love to give you what you need.

There are pre-strung single use flossers in the stores which I caution against. Floss-Picks and Wild-Flossers and such are attractive, but the little piece of floss is limp and the handle is flexible. Caution: Kids get very independent minded and insist on flossing themselves. Many haven’t developed adequate hand skills yet.  They go through the motions with the limp floss that does not get between the teeth and are rudely surprised later when cavities show up.  It is too late then, when we point out to the parents that the children have not been using the floss effectively.

Juice Revealed - Not So Sweet!

For over 2 generations now juice has been espoused as a health food. Though dentists have been aware for decades this is not really true, it has not been until very recently that the health industry and the medical establishment has taken a closer look at juice. It is definitely not a health food. The question arises if it is even healthy!

Juice now sits on the top of the list as a probable causative agent for the medical chronic disease pandemic facing our children; namely diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis, among others. The journals of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have in recent years recommended that juice be avoided in an infant’s diet. They also recommend that if it is introduced to a toddler that it be limited to 6 oz. daily (a small glass) and consumed with a meal.

Juice is at the top of the list of causative agents for dental disease for our children and youth. For that matter, in today’s culture it probably is equally at cause for adult dental decay.

Juice is worse than soda! That doesn’t mean soda is good; it is also terrible for teeth and health. But, juice is worse. If you look at nutrition data for foods and compare juice with whole fruit, you quickly see what is lost when juice is squeezed from fruit. A couple highlights:

You do get water and calories; i.e., an 8 oz glass of orange juice has the calories squeezed from about 5 oranges. Who ever heard of eating 5 oranges in one sitting? And today we often do this at breakfast and again in the afternoon. Yikes… all those empty calories!

Lost with the fruit when we make juice is a) nearly all the vitamins except some of the water soluble vitamin C, b) insoluble fiber, roughage, c) soluble fiber, unique to fruit and an important aid in digestion, d) and minerals, key components to our enzyme systems that process our body functions. Without the minerals the enzymes cannot use the calories we consume so the calories get stored as fat.

Rarely mentioned about juice is the acid. Acid that will dissolve your teeth. Those of us that took analytical and organic chemistry in college know the issue here. Though organic acids are often called “weak” acids, they are far more effective in organic systems like mouths because of their sustaining power. They don’t register in the pH scale as strong (lower number) as inorganic acids because they hold their acid potential in “reserve.” As the acid is used (dissolving calcium out of teeth) the reserve releases more acid out of solution. This is part of the steady state (homeostasis) systems that sustain organic (life supporting) systems. When misused (juice rather than fruit) the power released can be devastating. It turns out the acid potential (titrateable acid) of juice is nearly twice that of colas!

So put juice at the very top of the destructive beverage list that includes: juice, sports drinks like Gatorade, sodas, juicers and sweet energy teas.

Dental Necessities for Your Child - Birth and up

Here's a list of dental care necessities from birth on up:

• Baby Teeth Cleaning: Baby teeth should be cleaned as soon as they erupt. Clean your baby's teeth with a soft washcloth or gauze after every bottle or meal. When molars erupt, use a small child-sized (age-appropriate) toothbrush with warm water to brush your baby's teeth, as instructed by your dentist.
  
  At age two begin using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.  In select special circumstances your dentist may recommend fluoride toothpaste younger than age two.   Encourage your children with a daily brushing habit.  Help them “finish the job until their hand skills develop adequately (Age 6 or more).   Replace toothbrushes every two to three months.
  
  Children taking regular medications need extra attention including brushing after taking the medicine.  Ask your dentist regarding the specifics.
• First Dental Visit:   It is important that your child see a dentist by age one to establish a long-term dental hygiene and professional dental cleaning plan.
• Dental Sealant Application:   Dental Sealants are used to protect teeth from decay and are appropriate as soon as permanent molar teeth erupt.
• Fluoride Treatments:  Check with your dentist and water authority about the need for fluoride treatments.  Fluoride is a major component in the prevention of childhood dental caries.  This is because fluoride alters the molecular structure of the tooth, making it more resistant to acid attack and decay.
  
  However, children require the right balance of fluoride treatment. Too much fluoride could be problematic and lead to fluorosis.
• Dental Flossing: Parent-assisted dental flossing should commence when two teeth erupt next to each other, especially the molars at age 2 1/2.  Independent flossing should occur when children have the ability to do it on their own (often by eight years of age).
• Mouth Washing: Mouth washing is recommended by age six if your dentist deems there are special preventive needs.  Mouthwashes not containing alcohol are fine for anyone age 6 and older who can rinse without swallowing the mouthwash.
• Orthodontics: may be appropriate by seven years of age.

Keep in mind that these age ranges are estimates only; you should follow your dentist's recommendations.

One of the gifts parents can give their child is a start at good dental health as well as a healthy relationship with the dentist.