Parents need to work hard and consistently with their children to establish a good teeth brushing routine and habits. But, it’s not always easy is it? Don’t worry moms and dads, help is on the way. I’m going to give you 7 best tooth brushing tips for kids.
Whenever we talk about maintaining and promoting good health, eventually the conversation turns to establishing and keeping good habits, and this is probably never more critical than with brushing our teeth.
1. Sing Silly Songs
It’s extremely important to train your children not to rush their teeth brushing routine. Sometimes two minutes can seem like an eternity. Come up with a fun song to sing to your children as you’re supervising their brushing. You might build it around their favorite cartoon characters or animals. Or you might include the names of different types of teeth to help make sure they aren’t missing any spots.
2. Set a Fun Example
When you brush your teeth, dramatize the experience a little. Make your youngsters know that you’re having fun. Be enthusiastic about brushing. Kids love to emulate their parents; give them good habits to emulate. Start out when they’re really young—this technique doesn’t work so well with teenagers. Sorry.
3. Give your Kids Some Control
Let your children select their own toothbrushes and toothpastes. They’re likely to find some cartoon characters they know and love. Also, let your children find a place of honor to store their new toothbrushes. Provide them with a clean cup and show them how to properly rinse their toothbrushes before storage. Make the proper storing of their toothbrushes a big deal, over which they have control.
4. Make a Game of It
You can use your own creativity with this one, but with any game there has to be a reward. One idea would be that a thorough two-minute brushing gets the reward of an extra bedtime story.
5. Use a Plague-Revealing Mouth Rinse
There are mouth rinses on the market developed for children that when used, reveal the teeth that were not properly brushed. If there’s any oral care product more “magical” than this one, I haven’t seen it. Use this magic potion to help your children develop thorough brushing habits. When they do a super job, have a reward ready. Maybe seven great jobs in a row would warrant a special trip to the park.
6. Go Electric
Supercharge the fun with an electric toothbrush. Everything is electric today. You child’s favorite toy probably requires batteries. When your children are ready, switching to an electric tooth brush might deliver just the jolt of excitement needed to reanimate their tooth brushing routine.
7. Chart Their Progress
There are various downloadable charts on the Internet that you can use to track your children’s positive progress toward establishing excellent tooth brushing skills and habits. As any elementary school teacher will tell you, stickers are also a great motivator. Combining charts with stickers will deliver a one-two punch of enthusiasm. Brushing without having to be reminded might warrant a sticker. Stickers could also be used on the charts to track thoroughness and other healthy habits.
Don’t expect to use one of these techniques and be done with it. Establishing good habits in children can be like trying to hit a moving target. You have to adapt as they grow older.
Beyond instilling good brushing habits for your kids, it is also important to make sure they are comfortable with dentist visits. In combination with brushing regularly to have complication free visits, the following details ways you can help your child’s dental anxiety.
Provided by Cosmedent – dental continuing education
