These five tips will not only help you teach them how to brush their teeth but have some fun while they do it right!
1. Teach Kids to Brush Their Teeth Early.
Teaching kids to brush their teeth correctly can start when they’re babies. After each feeding, rub a clean cloth over a baby’s gums to keep plaque from hanging around. Once teeth appear as your child grows and develops, use a small toothbrush in the morning and the evening to help teach kids to brush their teeth.
Toothpaste isn’t necessary for younger children at this stage, but there are special kinds of toothpaste available to help them get used to the idea of using it. The habit of taking care of teeth correctly will be firmly established as your children develop into preschoolers. As you teach kids to brush their teeth, they will learn that in your family, teeth are brushed twice a day with soft-bristled toothbrushes that are replaced every three months.
Floss can also be introduced at this stage, cleaning out plaque from in-between teeth. As kids grow and develop, it’s important that you’re teaching kids to brush their teeth correctly. Even school-aged kids need guidance and help to brush and to floss correctly to take proper care of their teeth.
2. Fight the Plaque Monsters.
The formation of plaque on our teeth is what causes cavities and leads to gum disease, which is why it’s so important to teach kids to brush their teeth correctly. Kids need to know that taking care of their teeth is important and that there are long-term consequences if they don’t.
3. Best Brushing Techniques.
It’s important to establish an everyday family routine when you teach kids to brush their teeth. While you teach kids to brush their teeth properly, make sure that your children brush their teeth twice a day, once in the morning and evening. Show your kids how to brush all surfaces of their teeth with a soft-bristled brush, including the area along the gumline.
Plaque Monsters like to hang out in-between teeth and in other hard-to-reach areas. This means that it’s important for your kids to practice flossing once a day, in addition to the times you teach kids to brush their teeth. As your kids grow and develop, schedule visits to the dentist twice a year for regular cleanings and checkups.
4. Make Brushing Teeth Fun!
Modeling and discussion through play is a great way to help children establish healthy habits as you teach kids to brush their teeth and take care of them. To help small children especially, find a doll and have your child “brush” the doll’s teeth, discuss with your child what he or she is doing, and review the basics about how to brush properly. Use picture books and DVDs at your local library which reinforce the basics of good oral hygiene.
Teaching your kids how to brush their teeth can be more fun when kids feel like they have choices in the process. Since it’s essential that kids brush their teeth twice a day, give them choices in other areas, which can include: the color of the toothbrush they use, including specialty ones with favorite characters, toothbrushes that light up, or those that have a motor two or three toothbrushes to choose each time your kids brush their teeth, plastic cups are used for rinsing that can stay in the bathroom fun, floss colors, and flavors toothpaste varieties that appeal to kids.
While you’re teaching your kids to brush their teeth, let your child put the toothpaste on the brush, emphasizing that the toothpaste should be the size of a pea. When you’re first teaching your children how to brush their teeth, take turns to make sure they’re brushing all surfaces of their teeth twice a day.
5. Get Help from the Dentist As You Teach Kids To Brush Their Teeth.
It’s not necessary to teach kids to brush their teeth correctly on your own – get help from your dentist, or see one of our staff at Fast Track Pediatrics; we are here to help you.
Contact Fast Track Pediatrics today at 352-433-2633 to schedule an appointment.