3 Ways To Help Your Child Brush Their Teeth
Whether your child still has baby teeth or has already developed some or all of their adult teeth, good oral hygiene habits should start early. If you help your child to develop good habits now, they will serve them throughout life and help prevent them from experiencing gum disease and tooth loss. Here are three tips you can follow to improve your child's tooth brushing habits:
Learn From You
Dentists can explain to children how to brush and what to do, but children learn best when their parents show them exactly what to do. If you have good oral hygiene habits, the chance of your child developing them will increase.
Show your child how to brush the best way possible: use light pressure, brush your teeth in a circular motion, and get every nook and cranny. Encourage your child to match your movements and praise them when they do.
Timed Musical Brush
One easy way of encouraging your child to brush for an adequate amount of time is to purchase a musical toothbrush. These brushes come in both standard and electric varieties and play a tune while they're in use. The song keeps playing until an adequate amount of brushing time is up; typically two minutes.
These toothbrushes are effective because children enjoy the stimulation and feedback of listening to a song while they brush their teeth. It's a good idea to choose a brush that has a song your child likes. Thankfully, most toothbrushes offer a variety of tunes from cartoons, pop stars, and child-friendly movies that are popular with kids.
Plaque Disclosing Tablets
Finally, you can demonstrate to your child exactly why it's so important to thoroughly brush their teeth with plaque disclosing tablets. These tablets are designed to be used after brushing one's teeth, and when chewed, they adhere to the remaining plaque on the surface of one's teeth. Instead of being nearly invisible, the plaque becomes a vibrant red.
There are a few ways you can use this product to demonstrate good brushing habits to your child. One way is to simply have them use it and then look in a mirror. Any places that are red need more attention, and you should encourage your child to take better care of them. Alternatively, you can both use the tablets, and you can make it a competition to see which one of you has fewer red spots on your teeth!
Early good oral hygiene habits will last a lifetime, so make sure to focus on your child's oral hygiene practices. Additionally, don't skimp on dentist visits. Visiting a child-friendly family dentist will help to discourage your child from being anxious about the dentist in adulthood, which will also increase their chances of having good oral health for life.
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