Your children’s teeth help to shape the future of their dental health. That being said, getting your child to take their teeth as seriously, isn’t the easiest of tasks! However, it can be made easy with a few considerations from the adults! Planning ways to encourage tooth brushing is the best way of making sure your kid’s teeth get the attention they deserve.
Get the right gear
It’s vital that your children feel involved in toothbrushing right from the get-go! The best way to make this happen is to let them choose their dental gear! Allowing them to choose their own toothbrush, in their favourite colour or with their favourite character on the front for example, will make them much more likely to get brushing! The same applies to their toothpaste, there’s so many flavours out there which make them look forward to a yummy end to the day!
Make it fun
Children learn through playing, which can make toothbrushing (and parenting) a lot more fun! Designing games around their dental routine will encourage them to enjoy brushing their teeth. For younger ones, singing a rhyme can be a great way to enjoy it:
- We brush our teeth to make us grin
- We brush our teeth to keep them white
- We brush our teeth but not our chin
- We brush our teeth both day and night
For toddlers, it’s good to play a ‘me-go, you-go’ game, where you make a big grin and brush your teeth, then they repeat it. You can add in a silly noise to make sure they feel like tooth brushing is fun, rather than a chore!
Go interactive
Your children have grown up with technology and are probably already able to use your tablet and/or smartphone. So, we say put it to good use! There are a number of different apps out there which encourage your kids to brush their teeth. We recommend using this one as a secondary option, but it can be a particularly helpful technique when the little ones are feeling a bit more stubborn!
Create rewards
Let’s face it, no matter how old you are, everyone loves a reward! Creating an incentive system is a great way to encourage good tooth brushing. You can create a ‘getting up’ and a’ bedtime’ chart with tasks that they to do (including brushing their teeth!) When they have successfully done the tasks, allow them to draw a star on the chart – when they get enough stars, they can have a reward! We can’t say what they’ll be allowed, but perhaps sweets and chocolate might be a bit counter-productive!
It is essential that your children brush their teeth well, and on a regular basis. It can be difficult to encourage them to keep on top of this responsibility, but the sooner you start, the easier it will be in the future. We hope our suggestions get them enjoy their dental routine and keep their teeth healthy and white fort the tooth fairy!
