Tips for Establishing a Good Oral Care Routine for Your Kids
Maintaining the health of your child's teeth is very important, and the parents are largely responsible for helping them develop a good routine. If you're not sure how to do this, consider these tips that will establish healthy oral care for years to come.
Let Them Pick Out a Toothbrush and Toothpaste
If you want your child to be excited about brushing their teeth, they need to be excited about using their toothbrush. This starts with going to the store and letting them pick out a toothbrush that they like. It could have their favorite character on the brush or be their favorite color. Having a brush that they picked will help them be excited to use it every day for brushing. Another option is an electric toothbrush to help with brushing.
The same logic applies to their toothpaste. If they are picking out a fun flavor, they'll be more excited to use the toothpaste. When they run out of toothpaste, another special trip to the store can help by changing up the flavor.
Use a Timer
It's important that your child is brushing independently for the full two minutes. The best way to do this is with a timer. If your child has an electric toothbrush, then it has a built-in timer that is going to let them know when the two minutes of brushing is up. If it's a manual toothbrush, then you may need to get a timer to keep them on task. There are fun two-minute timers that you can get, such as sand or liquid timers flip over and run for two minutes.
There are also plenty of apps that are designed to guide kids with teeth brushing, which act as a timer as well. Having your kid earn stickers and stamps for their brushing can also be a good motivation for them since they can see all of the rewards that they collect in the app from brushing over time.
Use the Right Floss
Your child may find it difficult to floss with normal dental floss that they wrap around their fingers. Consider getting floss picks that they simply need to hold in their hand. While it is not as good as traditional dental floss due to how it doesn't wrap around the tooth, it can help at a young age when they don't have the dexterity to hold a piece of floss tightly between two fingers.
For more tips on how to teach good oral care to your children, contact a family dentistry service near you.