Brushing Teeth: Oral Sensitivity
Why is it important:
Taking care of your teeth is essential and oral health is a very important activity of daily living. However, it can be challenging for some children due oral sensitivity. There two categories of sensitivity often used to describe oral sensation—hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity.
Hypersensitivity or Hyposensitivity
Hypersensitivity refers to an increased awareness and feeling that stimulates the mouth. Children who struggle to place objects in mouth, are avoidant to brushing teeth, are hypersensitive to the sensation and struggle brush all of their teeth because their mouth becomes overstimulated. Often times, children will be nervous or anxious when it comes time to brush teeth.
Hyposensitivity refers to decreased awareness and feeling to objects places in mouth or around mouth. Often times, children that are hyposensitive to oral stimulus have decreased sensation and are unaware of where the toothbrush is in their mouth. Children will rush through brushing teeth and many times will not notice whether they have brushed all of their teeth.
Whether your child struggles with brushing teeth due to hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity, there tips and tricks that you can try with your child to make brushing teeth more enjoyable and independent!
Hypersensitivity:
- Toothbrush: Sometimes trying a different toothbrush that is softer may ease the sensation, making it easier for your child to tolerate.
- Toothpaste: There are many different flavors of toothpaste. However, flavors such as mint or spearmint and be strong and over powerful. You can try a different flavor or there are flavorless toothpaste options as well.
- Length and Expectancy: Knowing what the expectations are and the length or timing of activity can ease anxiety. Additionally, setting a routine can assist in taking out the unexpected to decrease anxiety.
- Get their mouth ready: Before jumping into toothbrushing, prepare their mouth. Place the toothbrush on the outside (lips), then touch tongue, then touch teeth. Do this for all quadrants of mouth (front top, front bottom, right top, right bottom, left top, and left bottom).
- Make it fun: Sing a fun song, have a light-up toothbrush, or have them choose a flavor.
Hyposensitivity
- Toothbrush: Sometimes trying a different toothbrush that is bigger may increase your child’s awareness to where the toothbrush is in their mouth.
- Toothpaste: There are many different flavors of toothpaste. You can try a more fun flavor like bubble gum, vanilla, or berry.
- Length and Expectancy: Knowing what the expectations are and the length or timing of activity can increase awareness. There are toothbrushes with timers, you can sing a song, or.
- Learn the Steps: Just like knowing the expectations, learning the steps of brushing teeth can be helpful. Additionally, a visual schedule can assist in laying out all the steps:
- Brush the top front teeth five times.
- Brush the bottom front teeth five times.
- Brush the bottom back teeth five times.
- Brush the top back teeth five times.
- Brush the middle teeth five times.
- Finally, brush all around the outside surfaces of teeth and rinse.
- Make it fun: Sing a fun song, have a light-up toothbrush, or have them choose a flavor.
Other tips that may work for either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity
- Reward Systems
- Positive reinforcement
- Visual schedules
- Set routines
There are many different tips and tricks that you can try at home and this may seem overwhelming. Know that you are not alone! Your Occupational Therapist is a great resource. Reach out to your OT for guidance on more specific tips to help your child become more independent with brushing teeth!
– Sydney Denhart, OT