Teaching Your Kids Good Oral Hygiene

July 15, 2021 Staff 0 Comments

Your child’s health is so important while they’re still growing and developing every day. One area that can sometimes be a struggle is getting kids to brush their teeth twice a day, and to do so properly. But you should be brushing your kids’ teeth at the first sign of them coming through, and it’s good to encourage them to do it themselves once they’re able to. So, we’ve got some tips to help you teach your kids about good oral hygiene and get them brushing every day.

Children’s books

It can be difficult to teach kids the ins and outs of dental hygiene and what happens to our teeth and gums if we don’t brush properly. You don’t want to make it too complicated or it will just go over their heads. You can find children’s books about looking after your teeth, helping to encourage and teach them in a fun, child-friendly way that they’ll understand.

Brush with them

Kids are always copying what their parents say or do, even when you don’t want them to! So, lead by example and brush your teeth with them so they can see how it’s done and see that it’s not so bad.

Make brushing fun

You don’t want brushing to seem like a chore or a punishment, so try to find ways to make it a fun experience. You could play a fun song while they brush. Find a tooth brushing song on YouTube or have them choose their favorite song. This will also help them time their brushing better.

Let them choose their brush

Give your child some control over the brushing experience by taking them to the store to choose their own toothbrush. You’ll find fun, colorful brushes and ones with their favorite characters. Even better, have them pick out two toothbrushes, then let them choose which one they want to use each time they brush.

Reward them

There are lots of different ways to reward your kids for good behavior. You could reward them each time they brush with a bedtime story, for example, or an extra long cuddle in bed. Or you could create a chart to keep track of every time they brush their teeth, and then they get a reward if they brush twice every day for a whole week, or something similar. The longer they go, the bigger the rewards could get, such as the promise of a fun family day out if they keep it up for a month.

Make sure you take your kids for regular dental check-ups. Contact Advance Family Dentists to book an appointment in Advance, NC, or for more tips about your child’s oral health and hygiene.