Flossing is important for three year olds, too!

Captain Fussybuckets has been to the dentist each year since he turned one.  He has always been a good dental patient, sitting in the chair nicely for the teeth cleaning and check-up, and has always received a good report.  Well, we took him to a new dentist (actually, this is the fourth dentist he's been to!) a few weeks ago and the dentist was concerned about his x-rays.  Yes, I kind of cringe at the thought of giving a three year old an unecessary x-ray, but it turns out it was good to have.  You see, the x-rays showed that he had about six "almost cavities" in his molars!  Apparently this happens to kids when they snack a lot between meals, which anyone who knows my son knows that this is him, exactly.  He loves his water, but he has been drinking more juice than he used to, as well, which is also a contributor.  So the dentist advised that we not fill the "almost cavities" but try to stop them in their tracks and possibly reverse them before they get to be, well, real cavities.  He recommended that we start flossing his teeth every single night, especially those molars.  He also recommended a fluoride rinse, which I was and still am a bit nervous about.  The kid doesn't even use a fluoride toothpaste because honestly, I think it's unnecessary.  There is fluoride in our water supply and if you brush and floss regularly, then you don't need fluoride and it has been known to be not so great for your health, but, that's another post for another day.  

Back to my story…..I don't remember ever flossing my teeth before elementary, for sure and even then, it wasn't regular.  So, who knows, maybe the "almost cavities" wouldn't evolve into real cavities and he would lose the baby teeth with no problems, but I don't want my three year old to have tooth pain and I'm not sure he'd know that it was the tooth causing the pain.  SO, we're erring on the side of caution and using the fluoride mouth wash and making sure he spits it all out and most importantly, flossing!  I floss the back teeth for him after he brushes and I let him floss the front since the gaps are pretty wide in his front teeth.  Just know…..flossing is important for all ages!!!  Don't risk cavities or "almost cavities" with your precious little ones!

Floss my teeth, Mom & Dad! ahhhhhh!