Children can easily get bored with mundane tasks like making the bed, cleaning their room, and brushing their teeth. Oftentimes, parents need to liven up these duties and turn them into exciting games or activities. If you’re not exactly sure how to get a child excited about oral hygiene, here are three tips you can use to make brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist fun.
Why Is It Important for Kids to Have Good Oral Hygiene?
Young smiles are prone to cavities, which can develop as a result of an unhealthy diet and poor oral hygiene. Because it can take years before a child is capable of cleaning their teeth correctly, on their own, it’s important that proper oversight by a parent or guardian, as well as a dentist, occur.
Without special care and consideration, growing teeth and gums will become affected by bad oral bacteria, resulting in tooth decay, cavities, and even gum disease.
How Can Oral Hygiene Be Fun For Kids?
Anytime an everyday task is turned into something fun and exciting for kids, you’re likely to get a different response than the normal, “But I don’t want to” or “But why?”
With these helpful tips, you can help your child become eager to brush and floss their teeth, ensuring that their smiles remain in good health in between appointments:
- Make Morning and Nighttime Routines Family Affairs – Instead of simply watching your child brush their teeth, get together with them in the bathroom and start brushing together as a family. As they see you taking care of your smile, they’ll likely want to do the same. You can even put on some music to help in making sure everyone brushes for the duration of the song.
- Create an Incentive – There are many apps and activities you can print out online that help to track your child’s brushing and flossing. Or you can simply place a calendar on the wall in their bathroom and use stickers to mark each day that they properly clean their teeth. At the end of each week (or whatever duration of time you establish), tell them they will receive a special prize. This can be a trip to the park, playing their favorite game, watching a new movie, or picking out a toy at the store.
- Let Them Pick Their Oral Hygiene Products – The next time you visit the store, let your little one pick out a toothbrush and toothpaste. Many manufacturers now include special and popular characters to help children get excited about brushing. This will help them to feel part of the process as well as reinforce how a particular princess or action hero believes in healthy teeth and gums, so they should, too! You should be mindful, however, of any emerging brands that are being promoted on social media. Instead, look for those with the ADA seal of acceptance that contain fluoride. Also, make sue they have soft bristles, and use a smear of toothpaste if they cannot swallow before moving to a pea-sized amount of toothpaste one they reach the age of 3.
Give your child a chance to break away from the mundane and embrace a newer way to take care of their smile. By incorporating one or more of these tips into their routine, you’ll begin to notice their eagerness to brush and floss each morning and night.
About the Author
At Brush Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Mira Albert leads a team of pediatric dentists who make it possible for little ones to achieve healthier smiles. By recommending helpful tips to make oral hygiene fun and more exciting, she can help to impart a sense of imagination that keeps children eager and interested in taking better care of their smiles. If you’d like to learn more about what you can do as a parent to encourage good oral habits at home, contact us at (630) 504-2223.