Good dental health starts early – teaching your kids to brush their teeth at least twice a day is important for establishing a lifetime of healthy smiles. Yet not every child is enthusiastic about regular brushing, which can make it hard to establish good dental health habits.
We know how important a dazzling smile is for a child’s confidence and health throughout their lives. That’s why we’ve come up with 5 easy tricks to inspire your kids to brush regularly!
Make Brushing Teeth Fun With a Cool Toothbrush
Your run-of-the-mill toothbrush is the exact opposite of exciting. That’s why it’s helpful in getting your child a toothbrush that excites their imagination. This can take any number of forms – there are brushes emblazoned with images of their favorite cartoons, those that light up, those that play music, or even combinations of the three. Let your kid come with you to pick out the toothbrush they want to use to get them involved – and don’t forget this can extend to the type of toothpaste your child uses as well – there are a number of kid-friendly toothpastes out on the market that can turn a daily chore into something cool.
Turn Brushing Teeth Into a Game
Kids love to play and to make up games, and you can use this to your advantage when it comes to encouraging them to brush their teeth. Dental health isn’t the most captivating subject in the world, so doing things to make it exciting will help. Providing rewards for kids who brush their teeth regularly helps provide ways to “win” at oral health, so think up fun and innovative ways for your children to associate regular brushing with a fun game. Just don’t reward them with candy!
Brush Together to Provide Encouragement
Being a parent means having a little miniature version of you and your spouse who likes to follow you around and mimic whatever you do. This provides a great opportunity to lead by example – belly up to the sink and brush your own teeth alongside them to show that you take care of your own teeth, too. Your little mini-me will likely love participating in a “grown-up” activity by your side, and it provides a great opportunity to bond with your children as well.
Enlist Your Child’s Imagination
Children have fertile, active imaginations, so using those imaginative qualities to your advantage are sure to bear fruit when it comes to encouraging them to brush your teeth. Making up a fun adventure story about Sir Bristles and how he defends the Magic Tooth Kingdom the Evil Plaque Army will sound silly to your ears, but many kids will pick up on the story immediately. You can always add extra stories about the Floss Fairy or other types of dental hygiene to tailor the story to your child’s interests – better yet, ask him or her to help you make up an epic adventure with you!
Enlist the Help of Your Local Dental Office
If you’re not having any luck at all, take a trip to your local dental office. If you have a family dentist – or one that specializes in children – the staff there are well-versed in providing great tips and tricks to parents that are having a tough time in getting their kids to brush regularly. It’s also always a good idea to establish positive feelings in your kids when it comes to dental offices, so they don’t develop any lingering fears of visiting the dentist in the future.
