Teaching Kids Healthy Brushing Habits

Teaching Kids Healthy Brushing Habits

Aug 22, 2018

Parents are responsible for teaching their children proper oral hygiene habits. But sometimes, this process is easier said than done. To help make the learning process flow a bit easier at home, here are some useful tips:

Make Dental Care Fun

The approach here will be different for every family and will be age appropriate for each kid. If you can come up with a fun way to brush and floss, give it a try!

  • Bring the entire family to a drugstore or market and allow every to pick out a toothbrush and toothpaste. Be sure to select ADA-approved dental products. You will know them by the ADA seal.
  • If you have younger children, search for a song on YouTube that focuses on teeth brushing and have the tune playing when it is time brush and floss.
  • Bring little ones to a bookstore or library and let them pick out a book about the importance of healthy brushing habits.
  • Take advantage of sticker charts and track how often kids brush their teeth. Make it a game with foreseeable goals. When the chart is full of stickers, reward the child with a trip to the zoo or an inexpensive prize.

Create a Routine

Some families follow this common routine every night: dinner, TV or play time, shower/bath, brush and floss, story time and bed. You can try following this ritual every night so that kids always know what to expect and the process flows easier. Children are less likely to protest if they know what is coming. There is power in maintaining good structure.

Start Kids Early

Start enforcing a routine and twice daily brushing as soon as your child is able to brush on their own. Actually, it is helpful to begin the process even earlier, when you are still wiping gums and brushing their teeth for them. This will be all your kids know, so it will be normal.

There are countless ways to make oral hygiene more interesting to kids, but you might have to experiment for a while until you discover what works for your family. What makes one child happy, might not work for another, so don’t give up and keep trying.

Click to listen highlighted text!