15 Aug How to Teach Your Kids About Brushing and Oral Health
One of the best things you can do for your kids is to teach them about brushing and oral health. Once they learn how to care for their teeth and other oral tissues, they can prevent many health problems. But how do you teach them those good habits?
Here are several strategies you can use to teach your kids about brushing and oral health.
Practice Brushing and Oral Health Habits Together
Young children love to do what you’re doing, so practice good brushing and oral health habits together. You should start brushing your child’s teeth as soon as their first tooth appears, but you should save the toothpaste until they’re about 2 years old.
At around 2 years of age is when they can start learning to brush their own teeth, so make it a family time activity to show them how important it is. Though you’ll probably have to assist them until they get a little older, it also makes them feel like they’re growing up!
Use a Fun Activity to Teach Them About Plaque and Tartar
Make a runny paste out of flour and water, and then add food coloring to make it look like food. Next, take a plastic bottle and cut off the bottom. Have your child paint it white, so it looks like a tooth.
Then splash your flour mixture over the surface and let it dry. Now, have your child try to brush the hardened mixture off the bottle. Explain that this is what plaque and tartar are like on their teeth.
Use Lego Blocks/Play-Doh to Teach Your Child How to Floss
Take some Lego blocks and put Play-Doh between them to simulate plaque between the teeth. Next, give your child some dental floss and have them practice their flossing technique.
You can even have them pretend to be the dental hygienist working on a patient. Stress the importance of getting between teeth and below the gumline too!
Play Music While Practicing Brushing and Oral Health Habits
Use fun music to encourage your child to brush for a full two minutes twice daily. They can play other fun songs while flossing too!
Music makes the time go by faster, and your child will enjoy what they’re doing even more. Making brushing and oral health habits fun will help your child want to do them for a lifetime.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to teach children good brushing and oral health habits from an early age. There’s no reason it has to be a dull routine either. By making it fun for them, they’ll keep practicing those good habits for the rest of their lives.
To learn more about how to teach your child about good oral health, give the office of Aesthetic Dental Partners a call today. Our family-friendly practice can help you and your child with good oral health habits.
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