Is it Legal in Massachusetts Not to Brush Your Child’s Teeth?

One thing that my two-year-old daughter, Hannah, really enjoys is getting her teeth brushed and brushing her own teeth. I remember the first couple of times early in Hannah's life when my wife and I would visit the pediatrician in Pittsfield, we were told to start thinking about getting Hannah in the habit of having her teeth brushed so we could get her used to good oral hygiene early on. In the early stages of this process, we would give her fluoride drops. As teeth came in we started lightly brushing her teeth.

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At first, Hannah wasn't thrilled with having her teeth brushed which is to be expected. It was new for her and she was still very young. As time went on though she loved getting her teeth brushed and eventually, I would start the process by making sure I would get the hard-to-reach areas, and then I would let Hannah take over and finish the job. We're still doing it that way to this day. Hannah loves brushing. I mean look at that pretty smile.

Did you know there is a Massachusetts Law Regarding Dental Hygiene for Children?

If your children aren't in a daycare type of setting then it's up to the parents whether their's children's teeth get cleaned and how often etc. So while at home, there's no Massachusetts law regarding parents not brushing their children's teeth. However, if your child is in a Massachusetts daycare center or some type of early education center in Massachusetts, that center by law has to assist in brushing the teeth of kids who are under the care of the center for more than four hours or whenever they have a meal. Massachusetts passed this law back in 2010 as a way to promote healthy oral hygiene for kiddos and to prevent mouth/teeth issues and disease early on. The weird thing is parents can opt out of having the care center assist with brushing their child's teeth which makes no sense to me but then again, everyone has their reasons. You can read more about this Massachusetts law and program by going to Find Law as well as mass.gov.

I personally applaud Massachusetts for having this law. Who wouldn't? Get the little ones interested and excited about brushing early on. It's definitely something you won't regret. If you need some tips and tricks on starting the brushing process with your little one, check out this handy video below.

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