It is important parents work with their children and help them understand the benefits of brushing their teeth. In a child’s mind, they may see them as just teeth.
This makes it easier to maintain them as they grow older. There are things that can be done to make brushing teeth fun for children and become part of their daily routine.
Importance of Teeth
Parents need to teach their children the importance of their teeth. Some experts suggest letting children pretend they don’t have teeth.
Then have them make a list of all the things that would be difficult for them to do without teeth. When having a meal, is a great time to mention the many ways teeth help them.
Children need to realize the set of teeth they get after losing their baby teeth is their last one. Each of their teeth should be considered a real treasure.
Make Oral Hygiene Special
There are several ways to get a child involved with brushing their teeth. Children express an interest when they’re able to pick out their own toothbrush.
There are a variety of toothbrushes available based on movie characters, book characters and more. It’s also possible to get children interested by allowing them to customize their toothbrushes with stickers.
Also, giving your kids a choice in toothpaste helps.
Visiting the Dentist
It’s important for children to start getting regular dental checkups early. The American Dental Association (ADA) believes this should start shortly after a child’s first birthday.
When this is done, they have an increased chance of having good dental health during their entire life. Early checkups from a dentist in Burnsville, MN, or in other areas, can prevent tooth decay as well as cavities.
When children have healthy teeth, they chew their food more easily as well as learn to speak clearly, smile with confidence and more.
Brush to the Beat
The ADA recommends letting a child choose their favorite song to be played while brushing their teeth. It works best when a child can choose a different song to be played each day of the week.
Ask them to try brushing along with the music. Preschoolers respond well to hearing a song’s rhythm and brushing along to the beat.
Follow the Leader
Parents and older children can help the younger members of the family when they brush their teeth with them. It’s a way for younger children to see their older siblings nice teeth and reinforces the importance of brushing teeth.
They can share how to begin with the top row of teeth and then do the bottom row and begin working on the sides, etc.
Offer Rewards
The ADA believes parents should not view this as a bribe. It’s possible to offer a child an opportunity to pick a book to read or get a sticker for doing good brushing.
With the right rewards, a child will begin to look forward to brushing their teeth.
Set a Timer
An effective way to teach a child to remain focused when they brush their teeth is to set a timer. This is effective when children are difficult to teach new things.
It could start with 20 seconds with more time given if they don’t do a good job. This could be explained as a race against the clock.
It’s important to start a child early on a journey of having healthy teeth. Parents should try and get their children to understand the importance of brushing teeth.
Making it a fun experience will encourage children to develop good oral hygiene habits.
Learning to properly brush their teeth is just one habit a child should learn at early age. Good skills learned early will carry a child through life. Sound safety habits are especially important for children to learn when they’re young. Here are five additional things parents need to make sure their kids learn at an early age.
