Dr. Datun Reveals the Biggest Brushing Mistake Kids Make

July 14, 2026 | Healthcare – Dentistry

Important Note: This blog has been written by humans in natural language and no AI tools were used to prepare this content.

Dr. Datun was just checking on his dental equipment when he heard rushed footsteps outside his surgical room. Then he heard someone knocking on his surgical room door in quick succession. As soon his assistant opened the door, a 5-year old boy entered with his father with his big, beautiful eyes wide open. He looked at the dental chair, the paraphernalia and the microdentistry setup and was simply amazed.

We introduce you to our “curiosity-monger” 5-year old Mr. Dantu. He is ever curious and leaves no chance to ask questions. Dantu asked Dr. Datun – What does this machine do? Why do wear a white gown? Why are your eyeglasses so thick, do you watch too much TV?

Dr. Datun smiled and was very happy to see Dantu asking so many questions. Dantu’s father was worried. He told Dr. Datun that Dantu is a very obedient and cooperative kid. He brushes his teeth daily 2 times, but somehow still he has developed cavities in one of his teeth. Is Dantu doing anything wrong?

Dr. Datun acknowledged the concern of Dantus’ Father and very lovingly requested Dantu to sit in his dental chair to do a cross-examination of his teeth. After he checked everything using his equipment, he asked Dantu’s father detailed questions on Dantu’s brushing routine. Dr. Datun even asked Dantu himself what he does when he brushes his teeth. Dantu’s father had no idea that many small details do matter in dentistry and things overtime can go wrong.

The Biggest Brushing Mistakes Kids Make

One of the important things that Dantus’ father revealed was – Dantu completes his brushing in just 20 seconds flat, which was quite a feat!

Dr. Datun now understood the real problem. This is what he says are the biggest brushing mistakes that kids make:

Topmost Mistake: Kids most of the time “rush through” the process and avoid brushing the intricate areas of their teeth. One of the reasons for this is that kids lack fine motor coordination skills and patience, due to which the rushing happens. A lot of children only brush the visible front teeth for a few seconds and completely neglect the chewing surfaces of the back molar teeth. They might also ignore the gumlines where cavities most often begin due to food getting lodged there.

Dr. Datun has travelled to US, UK and Australia before. He has even travelled many south-asian countries and he sees a slightly different pattern of dental hygiene prevalent there. He pointed out ALL the general brushing mistakes that kids (and parents) make as given below and also shared how some of the mistakes below could be specific & prevalent more in certain countries rather than India.

Letting the kids brush alone

Parents do this unintentionally many times. This is particularly common almost all across the world, as parents initially monitor how the kids are brushing their teeth, but in a few days only they let the kids brush alone “assuming” that all is fine. Young children usually lack the coordination to clean their teeth properly and they have a tendency to “rush through” as given above. Typically, it is recommended for parents to closely supervise their child until the age of six while they are brushing.

Using too much toothpaste

Many parents and / or families use adult-size amounts of toothpaste for their young children. Too much toothpaste makes brushing messy. The more concerning part here is that young children tend to swallow the toothpaste, which can result in them taking in excess fluoride.

A small amount of toothpaste is usually enough to clean a child’s teeth effectively.

Not using fluoride toothpaste

Fluoride is well known for its effects of strengthening the teeth and prevent tooth decay. Hence, it is important to use fluoride-based toothpaste. It is recommended that 6-month or older babies can use a fluoride-based toothpaste, although in very small quantities initially. Post 3 years of age, children can be given a pea-sized amount of fluoride-based toothpaste to brush their teeth.

Not flossing

Parents should start flossing their child’s teeth as soon as two teeth begin touching each other. Cavities typically form between teeth, and flossing can help reach areas that brushing cannot reach.

Teaching flossing early helps the child understand that brushing alone is not enough for proper dental hygiene. This habit reduces oral hygiene mistakes and encourages complete dental care. Use child-friendly floss and do gentle glides of the floss initially the make your child used-to the flossing process.

Flossing is not very common in India as compared to other countries, but Dr. Datun highly recommends this to ensure his patients can prevent many dental diseases and disorders by correctly flossing their teeth.

Not brushing in circular motion

Children often brush their teeth quickly or brush side-by-side only. Such a technique doesn’t help remove the plaque effectively.

Dr. Datun recommends using a gentle circular motion along the teeth and the gumline which helps with more thorough cleaning. This also protects the sensitive gums of your child.

Not brushing the tongue

Not brushing the tongue is the most known cause of bad breadth and tooth decay. The human tongue harbors bacteria that can cause bad breadth and eventually this can lead to tooth decay.

Dr. Datun recommends brushing or cleaning the tongue (with a tongue cleaner) daily immediately after brushing the teeth. This not only removes bacteria but also aides in keeping the gut healthy in the long run.

Not replacing the toothbrush regularly

Toothbrushes should be replaced every 3-4 months. This is since; the bristles of the toothbrush can become frayed over time. This can cause the toothbrush to loose its effectiveness in removing the built-up plaque.

Dr. Datun not only recommends replacing the toothbrush every 3-4 months but also suggests using a brush having crisscross bristles than flat trim bristles. These are much more effective in reaching the deeper areas of gumline to remove loose food particles hence avoiding the built-up of plaque.

Brushing too hard just the visible front or a few teeth

Kids often make this mistake more from a psychological perspective that brushing hard to clean and brighten the teen. Although on the contrary, brushing hard can slowly damage the tooth enamel and damage the gumline. In the long term, gums recede and start showing up more of the teeth. Tooth can loosen up as well in case of too much damage to the gumline.

Dr. Datun recommends brushing light with firm grip on your strokes. This will prevent enamel erosion and protects against gum recession.

Not rinsing the mouth after brushing

Kids often find it hard to rinse mouth when they are too young, as they are not aware of “how to rinse your mouth”. Intervention by parents can help a child learn to rinse mouth properly after brushing.

Rinsing helps remove the remaining plaque and bacteria. It also helps you feel fresh after brushing.

Not brushing before bed

Kids often skip not brushing before bed due to sheer laziness or lack of motivation and / or discipline. This happens for adults as well. A good way to setup a habit to brush before bed is for the parents to do the activity together with your kid and make it a fun activity. Once, the said activity is done multiple times (more than 4+ weeks), the habit sets in and the kid starts brushing before bed for lifelong without needing any external motivation.

One another way is to say a short bedtime story as a gift if the kid(s) agrees to brush before bed.

Not brushing after eating sugary or acidic foods

A typical problem for kids happens as most of them simply love eating sugary or acidic foods in high quantities without understanding the perils of indigestion an other effects from such foods.

Parents should help provide balanced quantity of sugary and home-made balanced diet foods to their children. This helps to prevent access of sugary intakes for kids (and to a certain extent, for certain adults as well).

On some days, if this can not be avoided, parents can ensure that kids do brush their teeth after eating sugary or acidic foods. Brushing can neutralize the acid and remove any stuck food particles. This can help avoid build-up of plaque and subsequent formation of caries.

Skipping brushing in the morning sometimes

This follows the same advice as for “Not brushing before bed”. It is important for parents to monitor their kids to brush their teeth at least two times every day. This is very good preventive measure and helps kids learn good habits in their early years.

As Dr. Datun very lovingly mentioned so many things to Dantu, his eyes opened wide and he started smiling as he now knew that Dr. Datun was his friend. Dantu quietly told his father that he understood all of what the doctor said. He will now ensure that he brushes for at least 2 minutes and follow the brushing techniques to ensure his teeth remain as white as pearls. Dr. Datun was smiling as he was readily impressed by Dantu being so cooperative throughout his time as his clinic.

Dantu’s father was very happy to understand the details and ensured that he and his wife will monitor Dantu to ensure he follows the instructions given by him.

The ClinSav team wishes all our readers a healthy lifestyle and disease-free life!

Written By: Mr. Anand Nanavati

Conceptualized By: Dr. Snehil Makwana

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