If you have trouble getting your kids to cooperate with oral hygiene, you’re not alone. Luckily, there are simple, fun ways to make your children not only brush their teeth on their own but come to love it too. Below are our three favorite ways to get your kids to love oral hygiene!
- Teach your children the importance of oral health early and model good oral hygiene yourself.
Children tend to take on the behaviors they see in their parents, even if they don’t understand them. Oral hygiene is no exception. If a child sees their parents consistently brushing and flossing, they will think they should be doing the same. Creating a specific brushing time for your kids at a young age will create a habit. When they become old enough to take care of their own oral hygiene, a particular time will already be ingrained in them. It is also important to teach children the reasons why certain behaviors are beneficial. Tell them how and why a healthy smile will lead to a healthy life. You can even throw something in about making the Tooth Fairy happy!
- Reward good brushing behavior to reinforce it for your children.
Even if a reward doesn’t seem exciting to you, it most likely will to your children, and therefore will help reinforce good oral hygiene habits in them. Rewards can be as simple as stickers on a chart whenever your children take ownership of their oral hygiene routine without complaint. You could even let your children choose dinner one night of the week if they have been good about brushing their teeth the week prior. No matter how small a reward may seem to you, it will reinforce positive oral hygiene habits in your child.
- Make it fun.
How can you make brushing teeth fun for your kids? We recommend making a brushing playlist of songs they enjoy. You can even mix in some dental themed songs. Whenever it is time for oral hygiene, put this playlist on and brush your teeth with your children. You can also try letting them pick out their own toothbrushes. Most stores carry a wide variety of kids’ toothbrushes, and many of them feature beloved cartoon characters. There are so many unique ways to get your children to view oral hygiene not just as necessary, but as fun. Soon, your kids will be asking when it is time to brush their teeth.
Every child needs to be taught the importance of oral hygiene. Educating your children about why brushing is essential, modeling good behavior, rewarding your children when they are doing well, and making oral care fun are all ways to increase good brushing behavior and overall oral health. Let’s get your kids brushing! Click here to read about why you should schedule your 6-month checkup.