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Step 1
Brush the child's teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush. Talk to them while you are brushing, explaining the up-and-down and side-to-side motions. When they are done, rinse with water and complement them on how beautiful their smile looks.
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Step 2
Cut off a section of dental floss about 24 inches long. Snuggly wrap the ends around your middle fingers, so that you have about 2 inches of floss in between.
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Step 3
Grasp the middle of the floss between your forefingers and thumb of each hand. The inch of floss in the middle is what you will slide in between the teeth. Slide the floss section in between the child's teeth with a side-to-side action. This will slowly move the floss down to the gumline. Once at the gumline, turn your fingers to one side of a tooth and make a "c" shape with the floss.
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Step 4
Use a dental floss threader if the space between the child's teeth is too tight. Threaders look like loops of hard floss. You thread the floss through the loop, and then put the pointy end of the threader in between the teeth near the gum. Grab the ends of the floss, one in the front and one behind the tooth. Slide the threader out. The same threader can be used for all the teeth during one session of flossing.
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Step 5
While maintaining the floss's "c" shape, gently move it up-and-down the tooth while applying a slight pressure. Massage the gum with the floss, being careful not to puncture or cut the gum. Some bleeding of the gums may occur during the first week. Repeat this step for each side of each tooth.
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Step 6
Unwind the floss and rethread between your fingers as necessary. If you need more floss, get more from the container.
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Step 7
Show the child how nice their teeth look after brushing and flossing. Praise them and teach them by example how important dental care is.
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Step 8
Buy "kid flossers" at the local drug or grocery stores for smaller children. These cost more than regular dental floss, but they makes the child feel responsible for their own teeth.
