Electric toothbrushes are becoming more popular, although they appeared on the market in the middle of the last century. Over time, the brushes have changed, become neat, small, battery operated. Then they began to produce brushes for children. A children's electric toothbrush from 7 years old has firmly entered houses where there are small children. Consider the features of the choice of device.
Features of toothbrushing in children
You can acquaint your baby with the device already from a year and a half, when quite a lot of teeth have already been cut. To do this, you need to purchase a brush with soft bristles and accustom the child to daily dental care procedures.
Self-care is recommended to be taught only from three years old and even later. It is important to help take care of the oral cavity until the child learns to do it on his own.
You can use toothpaste from the first lessons. To do this, you need to buy a special paste for babies marked "0+". Make sure that the paste does not contain fluoride, because babies usually swallow part of it, and fluoride is harmful to health. The paste should also not contain synthetic fragrances and sodium lauryl sulfate.
Cleaning Features
For the first lesson, you must choose the time when the baby is healthy and in a good mood. Often the first purge is accompanied by screams and discontented crying. It is better to stop the procedure and choose another time for this. Children quickly get used to the procedure, because it is not scary and even interesting.
When cleaning, make gentle movements vertically, from the gums and up. The front teeth should also be cleaned from the inside vertically, moving from the gums to the edge of the teeth. Chewing teeth are brushed with horizontal movements. In order for the child to learn how to brush his teeth correctly, he needs to practice on the toy.
What types of brushes are
From the age of three, babies can use an electric toothbrush. This device removes plaque from enamel better, and it’s much more interesting for a baby to take care of his teeth with just such a brush. But it’s better to learn how to care for the oral cavity with a mechanical brush, and apply the electric one occasionally, in the form of encouragement. It is recommended to switch to the constant use of the device from the age of 6.
Toothbrushes for babies come in many forms. By the method of cleaning, they are divided:
- mechanical - their work is based on the actions of a conventional brush, but the number of movements is much larger.
Mechanical baby toothbrush
- sound - the built-in generator converts electrical impulses into sound waves that act on the bristles, causing them to move. After that, an effective enamel cleansing and a gentle massage of the gums.
Sonic toothbrushes
- ultrasonic - this type emits a sound stream with a frequency of 1.6-1.8 MHz, penetrating into inaccessible places and cleansing them. They also have a disinfecting effect.
Children's ultrasonic electric brush
According to the power source, the brushes are divided into types of rechargeable and battery-powered. Rechargeable - there is a built-in battery with a charger for connecting to a common network. It works autonomously, very convenient to use. On batteries - batteries are inserted; after discharge, they need to be replaced with new ones.
According to the stiffness of the bristles, the devices are also classified as hard, medium and soft.From 3 to 5 years, it is necessary to use soft bristles, and from 7 to 8 years old, switch to medium hardness. Children over 8 years old can use an electric toothbrush with hard bristles.
Features of the device
Toothbrushes of electronic varieties intended for use by children have the following features in work:
- Popular toothbrushes work in different speed modes. Slow - used for brushing teeth with increased sensitivity and the border of teeth with gums. Fast - it is used to clean enamel from old plaque.
- A huge role in the work is the handle of the device. It should have a rubber coating with studs to prevent slipping during operation.
Electric brush handles
- Modern brushes have the function of setting interval cleaning.
- The battery level is displayed on the screen.
- An electric brush saves time significantly: no need to apply effort to the movement - the bristles themselves vibrate, cleaning off plaque, working from a specially built-in motor.
- A small vibrating head has several directions of movement of the villi: up-down, reciprocating. These actions contribute to the rapid removal of plaque from enamel and food debris in the interdental spaces. The entire cleaning session takes no more than two minutes.
Some manufacturers began to produce brushes with a combination of sound and ultrasonic cleaning technology. Sound mode is needed to sweep away food debris, and ultrasound is needed to break down plaque and disinfect the cleaned surface of teeth and gums.
How to use the device
Before the first use and after each toothbrushing procedure, the bristles of the brush should be washed under a stream of warm water. Then squeeze the "pea" of toothpaste and proceed to the procedure:
- Press the start button.
- Bring the brush to the upper jaw and linger at the level of the front teeth.
- Alternately walk along the inner, upper part of the front teeth and chewing molars of the upper jaw.
- Brush the teeth on the lower jaw in the same sequence.
- Rinse your mouth with water.
- Rinse brush under running water.
On each part of the jaw, stop and hold the brush for cleaning for several seconds.
Why do children need an electric brush?
Children do not know how to clean their teeth well with a mechanical brush. Therefore, for them, the electric model is just salvation. It will easily and well clean the entire surface of the oral cavity, regardless of whether the baby can do this or not. Its advantages include:
- Simplicity and convenience in work.
- Significant pasta savings.
- The hygiene procedure is like a game.
Children of primary school age buzzing the device becomes familiar, and they are not so worried when visiting a dentist. For young children, the brush has the function of choosing a delicate brushing mode, which is necessary for delicate enamel and gums.
Pros and cons
A children's electric toothbrush from 3 and after 7 years of work has several advantages:
- Effective care of teeth, gums and additional massage of the oral cavity.
- Many cleaning modes to clean hard-to-reach surfaces.
- Better than a mechanical device, remove plaque from tea, coffee and tobacco.
- Reduce the risk of developing periodontal disease, tartar.
- Many types of devices have a sensor that monitors the pressure on the teeth. Strong pressure on the teeth of children damages the enamel; it is more delicate in them than in adults.
- Included are nozzles.
Electric Brush Package
- Some brushes have a timer that signals the transition to another part of the dentition.
- There are nozzles for cleaning the surface of the tongue from pathogenic bacteria.
For children, these functions are a good helper in high-quality cleaning of the oral cavity.
This device has disadvantages and contraindications for use:
- The device must be used after the approval of the dentist.
- Do not use a brush if the baby has a toothache or gum disease. If the child really wants, then you can alternate it with the usual, but apply no more often 1-2 times a week.
- The minus is a frequent replacement of the nozzle, which is required once every 2 months.
- If the teeth have light spots, then you can not use an electric brush, because it can destroy the teeth. White spots are areas with a large calcium deficiency, they are fragile.
- It is forbidden to use the device when there is a wedge-shaped defect.
It is necessary to consider these contraindications, so as not to harm the baby's weak teeth.
What to consider when buying
Arriving for the purchase of the device, it is necessary to choose a model for the baby that would be convenient to brush your teeth. Also, it should be beautifully designed. When choosing, you must consider the following factors:
- The age of the child for whom the brush is intended.
- Stiffness of bristles, type of head.
- Type of electric brush.
- Manufacturer.
- The presence of a timer.
- Nozzles and their types.
- The cleaning mode is normal or delicate.
Model of a children's electric brush
It is necessary to pay attention to the number of movements per minute - it should be 4-6 thousand. It is convenient to have blue bristles with an indicator property - if they are lightened, then the nozzle should be changed. It is recommended to choose a model with a sensor that controls the force of pressure on the teeth.
