Teaching children about the importance of brushing and maintaining oral hygiene is a tough task for most parents. While it is very important to inculcate healthy brushing habits in children from an early age, most parents struggle to do so as kids have so many more interesting activities to do rather than brush their teeth. Milk teeth are much more likely to decay than adult teeth and hence, all parents must insist on encouraging children to brush and floss their teeth which will give long term benefits.
Here are a few well-tested methods to make brushing fun for kids –
Let your children select their own toothbrush
The first step to getting children interested in brushing is letting them select their own budget-friendly toothbrush. Getting them involved in this process makes them more excited about brushing and gives them a feel of ownership while also making them more involved in the process.
Make Brushing a part of your kid’s routine
Make sure to work brushing twice daily into your children’s everyday routine early on so they are already used to it and are less likely to resist as they grow up. Do not let them skip brushing even for a day and this will help them in the future. Milk teeth decay much more quickly and good oral hygiene habits will benefit them all their life.
Brush your teeth with your child
All children love to be like their parents and brushing your teeth along with them is going to make them want to brush their teeth too. Also, it gives parents an excuse to hover around the child to monitor their brushing technique, toothpaste consumption and duration of brushing. Plus, watching you brush your teeth automatically teaches children the correct way to brush and makes the process a lot more enjoyable for them.
Use songs to teach and to time your children
Catchy and fun songs that teach brushing movements and technique to children are excellent teaching and motivational tools. You can sing songs that will teach the importance of oral hygiene to your children as well as help you figure out how long your kids are brushing their teeth. Just brushing can be boring but singing songs and throwing in some crazy dance moves as well can make the whole process fly by and kids will look forward to brushing as a fun part of their daily routine.
Let children practice brushing on their favorite toy
Encourage your children to practice brushing on their favorite toy be it a doll, a stuffed animal or a giant dinosaur. This teaches kids how to brush and helps them to understand the importance of brushing for everyone. Also once they are done you can suggest they go next and clean their teeth too! This is especially helpful for children’s nighttime brushing routine.
Read books to teach your kids about oral hygiene maintenance
Books with pictures are another fun way to teach your kids the importance of oral hygiene maintenance without being preachy. You can opt for a story based book or a book that states the facts about brushing, flossing and reasons for oral hygiene maintenance. Also reading books can initiate questions about cavities, what tooth decay looks like and what to expect at their biannual dental check-up.
This can also be an opportunity for you to share your experience with your Dentist and normalize dental visits for your children.
Find a dentist your children are comfortable with
Children visit the Dentist only twice a year and it’s of utmost importance that you find a dentist that children will be comfortable getting treated and look forward to visiting. At Smilex international dental centre, Pune’s best dental clinic kids genuinely enjoy their dental visits and our dentists make the dental treatment more fun, motivate kids to maintain better oral hygiene and make the dental appointments less stressful in general. You can google around and check reviews for Dentists around you to find one that suits your kids the best and don’t be afraid to visit a few dentists to find the one that delivers to your expectations.
It may seem tough at first but working on building an oral hygiene routine with fun activities and constant encouragement will give your children benefits all their lives. An early start to proper and regular brushing and getting children interested in maintaining good oral hygiene will go a long way in keeping your kids smiles shining and healthy and in turn keep you smiling and stress free.
