4 Reasons Floss Picks Are Great for Younger Children

Children should really start to floss as soon as they have teeth that touch each other — at this point, plaque will be able to start developing in areas a toothbrush cannot reach. However, teaching a child to floss properly can be tough, and they can have trouble doing a good job even when they know what they are supposed to do.

One way to help them out is by providing floss picks instead of traditional floss. These support a short length of floss between a small handle, and they come with several benefits that make them particularly great for younger children.

Here are just four.

1. They're Easier For Kids to Use

When using traditional floss, you need to pull out the right length, wind it properly between your fingers and then thread it back and forth between your teeth. This can be challenging even for adults, and children will often find this task especially tough. That means they may either do a bad job or simply skip all or part of their flossing routine. Floss picks make things much simpler. They are designed to be held easily and reach difficult spots without a fuss. Even younger children who lack manual dexterity should be able to use them.

2. They're Safer

One potential issue children have with flossing is exerting too much pressure, which can adversely affect the teeth and gums. You can prevent such issues by teaching them the proper technique, and it's also wise to start with floss picks. Since they are easier to move around the mouth and have handles that bend slightly under pressure, it's much harder for kids to use them too vigorously.

3. They're Easier For Parents to Use

At first, you'll probably need to do much of your child's flossing yourself to ensure their mouths remain healthy and show them the ropes. This can be tricky with traditional dental floss, but floss picks can help. Since floss picks can be held with one hand, you can easily use the other to hold your child's mouth open or simply offer comfort by holding their hand.

4. They're Ideal for Wider Gaps

Younger children often have relatively large gaps between their baby teeth, and it can be tough to effectively clean those gaps using traditional floss. Floss picks are ideal since they usually have floss on one side and a soft brush or pick on the other. These different tools are great at keeping wider spaces between teeth clean and healthy.

For more info, contact a local dentist. 

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