BEING A PARENT WITH small children can feel so hectic that there are probably days when it’s hard to find time to brush your own teeth, let alone theirs. That’s why we’re here to help you out with a few tips on how to help your kids develop great oral hygiene habits.
Make Healthy Baby Teeth A Priority
Just because your child’s baby teeth will be replaced with permanent teeth before long doesn’t mean it’s okay to slack off on taking good care of them. Baby teeth are crucial place-holders for adult teeth, and they allow your child to chew, speak, and smile freely. To keep them healthy, it’s important to aim for twice-daily brushing and daily flossing.
Start Building Life-Long Habits Early On
Teaching a young child important skills isn’t always easy. They have seemingly endless energy and very short attention spans, and a toothbrushing session won’t always go as planned. Here are a few things we recommend as you’re working on your child’s dental health skills:
- Make brushing a priority. If you act like brushing your child’s teeth is an inconvenient chore, that’s how they’ll view their dental hygiene routine. Show them that this is an important, unskippable part of every morning and evening.
- Brushing doesn’t have to happen in the bathroom. As long as you have a toothbrush, you can brush your child’s teeth anywhere. On a difficult day, brushing their teeth right where they are you could save both of you a lot of frustration.
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Toothpaste isn’t as crucial as brushing. Whether you ran out of toothpaste, can’t find it, or your child has been using it to practice their finger-painting skills, it’s fine to brush without the toothpaste until you can get more.
- Let them pick out their toothbrush. This will make feel more in control, and they’ll be happier to use it.
- Brush in front of the mirror. When they start brushing their own teeth, they’ll do it in front of the mirror, so this is the best place for you to brush their teeth for them at first. It will help them feel involved.
- Make it fun! The more you act like brushing is fun, the happier your child will be to cooperate. Keep up a good attitude about it and help them enjoy it by playing fun music to time their two minutes of brushing.
We’d love to hear about your brushing routine with your child. Are our tips helping you out? Do you have your own strategy that’s working really well? Give us a call to let us know, or tell us about it at your child’s next appointment! And if you’re still having trouble helping your child learn how to brush, we can help with that too!
We love seeing your child’s healthy smile!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
